A Different Beginning
by Flamehair Fantasy
Summary: When Moiraine shows up in the Two Rivers, Rand can already channel and is the only ta'veren in Emond's Field. How will this change the pattern? A powerful Rand and Elayne. Rand/Elayne
1. Chapter 1 Meeting Moiraine

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Wheel of Time. I am simply a writer looking to explore different possibilities in the late Robert Jordan's world.

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A Different Beginning

Chapter 1 – Meeting Moiraine

Rand al'Thor was an ordinary country boy in many ways. He lived outside the village of Emond's Field on a farm. He was a shepherd and helped his father, Tam, with other tasks on the farm. However, when Tam's wife Kari died, Tam revealed to Rand that they were not Rand's real parents.

Tam had informed Rand of his service in the army of Illian, and his finding of Rand on the slopes of Dragonmount after the last battle with the Aiel. Rand had been surprised and dismayed after learning about his parentage, but he had put it behind him. Tam was close enough to a father to Rand. However, Rand had not let this secret out and everyone thought he was the son of Tam and Kari al'Thor.

Rand had one other secret, and not even Tam knew. For several months strange things had been happening when Rand seized the flame and void. At first Rand thought it was coincidence, but he now knew that he could channel the male half of the true source. He had felt saidin while practicing archery. In secret for the last month, Rand had practiced channeling in secret, so he would not kill himself.

While this was almost always in the front of Rand's mind, at this particular time it had been moved to the back. It was the day before the big festival and that night was Winternight. He had just helped Tam unload barrels of cider with his friend Mat. Bran al'Vere, the village innkeeper and mayor had needed the barrels for the inn.

Mat was excitable as usual. He had apparently covered Master Luhhan's dogs with flour, which had led to a very dirty kitchen for Mistress Luhhan. Mat was also rambling on about a caught badger and the prospects of letting it out in the field. Mat was amused at the thought of the girls preparing for Bel Tine running all over the field shrieking. Rand thought Mat was lucky no one had over heard him.

While Rand in the past might have gone right along with Mat, in the last couple of months Rand had really matured. Some of the village women already wanted to place Rand on the Village Council. The women also were trying to push Egwene al'Vere, the mayor's daughter at him. While Egwene was very pretty, Rand did not see her in a romantic light. However, Egwene liked to follow Rand around and was completely besotted with him.

It was at this moment that Egwene chose to make her presence known. "Matrim Cauthon, you will do no such thing. You can be such a woolhead sometimes." Apparently Egwene had heard Mat talking about letting the badger loose. Mat just wasn't a very lucky person.

However Egwene wasn't done after reprimanding Mat. "Rand, I hope you are not going to be involved with this madness." Suddenly her face took on a kinder and more hopeful countenance. "Rand, will you dance with me tomorrow?"

Not surprised, Rand had an answer ready. "We'll see Egwene. I may be busy tomorrow. I am in the archery and swordsmanship competitions." Egwene let out a sigh and ran off.

Rand had mastered archery ever since Tam had taught him the flame and the void. For the last couple years the competition had come down to Rand and Tam. Tam had always beaten Rand in the end, but Rand hoped his fortunes would change this year.

Rand was participating in the swordsmanship competition this year for the first time. Ever since Kari had died, Tam had dedicated himself to teaching Rand the sword. Tam was a blademaster and had always won the village tournament easily. However, this year he would not be competing.

Soon after Rand had learned to channel, he had defeated Tam and had earned the title of blademaster. Naturally, no one in the village knew, but Tam had presented Rand his heron marked blade and told him that he could teach Rand no more. Rand wore the sword around everywhere he went. This was the only main difference between him and the other people of the Two Rivers, besides his two secrets.

While Rand was pondering his chances in the two competitions, Mat had continued to talk. "What did you say, Mat? I did not hear you."

As anxious as usual, Mat started talking about the gleeman that came into town and two strangers that had come. "Rand, Moiraine is a lady. And Lan, he could be her warder. He has this color shifting cloak on."

Rand dismissed the warder talk as one of Mat's fantasies, but was interested in the pair. However, he was more interested when Mat mentioned seeing a stranger in black on a horse at the edge of town the previous day.

On the way to Emond's Field, Rand had spotted a stranger on the road. However, as soon as Rand had taken the void, the stranger disappeared. He had informed Tam, but Tam did not seem overly worried.

Rand told Mat about seeing the black horseman. Both of them shuddered and talked about the peddler that was supposed to be coming into town. However, as they rounded the corner, they almost walked into a huge man in a gray/green cloak with a sword at his side.

Rand thought that this must be Lan, the man Mat had been talking about. Next to Lan was a beautiful lady in a blue dress. She was petite, with dark hair and dark eyes. However, the most striking features Rand noticed were her ageless face and a Great Serpent Ring on her finger.

This surely meant that this Moiraine was an Aes Sedai. Tam had told him about Aes Sedai and their ageless faces. He had also read about Aes Sedai wearing Great Serpent rings. He was shocked that one would be in the Two Rivers. However, he was more concerned about concealing his ability to channel. Apparently gentling, led to the death of men who could channel.

He knew from his books that he should call her Moiraine Sedai, but he did not want to draw attention to himself, and the village would be in an uproar with their false perceptions of Aes Sedai.

Suddenly Rand realized that she must belong to the Blue Ajah, who were meddlers in world affairs. Rand let out a sigh of relief. She would not gentle him unless she came to the Two Rivers for that purpose. Rand did not know that she had come for the exact opposite reason, to encourage him to channel.

After realizing that Moiraine Sedai must be Blue Ajah, Rand decided to be bold. "Good morning, Moiraine Sedai." Mat gasped and turned to look at Rand. Rand noticed Lan rest his hand on his sword handle. Rand noticed Moiraine narrow her eyes at him suspiciously.

Mat jumped in apologetically, "Lady Moiraine, Rand didn't mean anything. He must be mistaken. We mean no disrespect to you Lady Moiraine. I hope you are not angry."

Moiraine switched her gaze to Mat for a second. "How can I feel angry, when the charge is true? Leave us now, I wish to speak to Rand alone." Mat gulped, took a nervous look at Rand and scampered off.

Suddenly Rand's skin tickled as the Aes Sedai turned to him. Moiraine began speaking, "I do not believe we have been properly introduced. I am Moiraine Sedai as you said of the Blue Ajah. Now who are you?"

Rand simply replied, "My name is Rand al'Thor."

Moiraine quickly asked, "How did you know I was an Aes Sedai? Most of the people around here are clueless when it comes to Aes Sedai, thinking we are darkfriends. Obviously you have the different, true belief."

Rand stated, "You have an ageless face, which clearly marks you as an Aes Sedai, or at least a channeler of saidar. You are also wearing a Great Serpent Ring, which marks an initiate of the tower. My father told me about Aes Sedai, since he served in the army of Illian during the Aiel War and the ring is in a book I read about Aes Sedai."

Moiraine listened to his answer with interest and when Rand mentioned the Aiel War, her eyes lit up for a moment before returning to her normal countenance.

Moiraine seemed to ponder a response before asking, "Rand, would you be interested in coming with me to Caemlyn. I have an errand there, and I believe you could enlist in the Queen's Guard if you wished. I see that you have a sword."

Rand thought about it. She was Aes Sedai, but she was of the Blue Ajah. Obviously he was important to her in some way. She would not let him become an ordinary soldier, he just could become one. He had been wishing to leave and see the world, and he knew that this could be a great opportunity, especially if she was taking him, so he would not have to pay.

Rand answered, "I must talk this over with my father, but I believe I will come with you. As for joining the Queen's Guard, we will see. I don't fancy myself as a soldier, even a privileged one. A blademaster should not be an ordinary soldier, and I am a blademaster. I must go now, Moiraine Sedai, I will inform you of my decision tomorrow morning."

With this Rand walked off feeling good about himself for being strong in the face of an Aes Sedai. This was the perfect opportunity. He just didn't want Moiraine Sedai to know it.

* * *

As Rand left, Moiraine stared after him. He was certainly the one she was looking for. And a blademaster as well. Interesting. The boy certainly had strong will power and was confident. That was good.

He was a puzzling young man, but Moiraine was certain. Rand al'Thor would stand before the world as the Dragon Reborn.

She had expected to find three candidates in the village, with all of them possibly being ta'veren. However, she had viewed Mat and Perrin Aybara and they were not ta'veren or candidates for the Dragon Reborn. There was only Rand al'Thor.

Lan shifted next to her. "What did you think of the boy, Lan," Moiraine asked.

"A strong man. That sword belonged on his hip. He did not seem to fear us at all, and most importantly he was holding the void the entire time."

This reply from Lan was unheard of. Lan hardly ever gave out praise. The fact that he had held the void the entire time was even more impressive. He was clearly farther along than she thought. Maybe her task wouldn't be so difficult after all. If the boy was already somewhat prepared, the announcement of his destiny would not be so poorly received.

However, she was concerned. Rand had known she was Aes Sedai and had decided to let it be known that he knew she was Aes Sedai. She was certain he knew the ramifications of that getting out in this village. That fool Mat would undoubtedly spread the fact that she was Aes Sedai.

The boy obviously had some motives that she was unaware of. That was okay. They would be revealed in time. She would take him to Caemlyn. While she wasn't planning to go to Caemlyn, the boy probably would not want to go to Tar Valon. She needed to lessen Elaida's influence over Morgase anyways. They would go to Caemlyn in the morning.

She was confident the boy would go with her. He just didn't want her to know that he really wanted to go. She just hoped the trip would be smooth. Her hope happened to be misleading. Go figure.

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This fic contains a powerful/intelligent Rand and an independant, headstrong, loyal, and powerful Elayne. This is my second fic. I am also working on With the Daughter of the Night. I will continue to work on both of them, but am concentrating on this fic at the moment. I will work more on the one that is easier to write and recieves better reviews. Please review and let me know what you think of this story.


	2. Chapter 2 Winternight

Chapter 2 – Winternight

Rand was back at his home on the farm. He had expected to stay in the village for Winternight and participate in the nighttime visits, but Tam had said they were going back to the farm for the night. However, they would return to the village in the morning.

Rand noticed that Tam seemed up tight and anxious. While he had broken the news to Tam about Moiraine being an Aes Sedai and his desire to accompany her, Rand knew that his news was not the cause for Tam's unease.

When Rand had told Tam of his intentions to leave with Moiraine and Lan, Tam had seemed sorry to see Rand go, but knew that it was something Rand had to do.

No, what had Tam uneasy was not Rand's leaving. Tam had locked and barred all of the doors, which was unheard of in this part of the Two Rivers. Tam had also gotten out the spare sword and seemed prepared to use it. He had told Rand to stay ready and to keep his sword on hand, even though Rand was already wearing it.

Rand thought that the black horseman he had seen earlier in the day was the cause for Tam's worries. Tam had informed him that not only he, Mat, and Perrin had seen the horseman. Everyone near Rand's age had seen the mysterious black horseman. While none of the adults had seen the horseman, obviously Tam had considered the possibility of danger.

Just as Rand started to read, voices were heard out of the window. It was immediately clear that these voices were not human. They were deep, rough, and the words used were not comprehensible to Rand.

Tam peered out the window, cursed and ran backed to where Rand was. "Trollocs!" He shouted.

A shocked Rand asked, "Are you sure?" Tam replied that there indeed were trollocs outside the house. Just as Rand pulled his sword out, the door burst open.

A trolloc staggered in, and was quickly cut down by Tam. Tam shouted to Rand to cover the back door, while he held the front. As soon as Rand made it to the back door, a trolloc knocked it down.

Standing before Rand was a monster about seven feet tall, with thick horns and a twisted face. The trolloc brandished its sword and brought it down through the air towards Rand's head. Rand met the blade and twisted into an attacked form that Tam had taught him.

His sword flashed as it entered the side of the trolloc. The trolloc snarled and continued to fight. Rand hurriedly seized the void, where he could sense saidin. Now he was one with the blade. The trolloc quickly collapsed in a heap, with a hole in its chest.

Rand continued to fight as trolloc after trolloc met death upon Rand's blade. Finally he had killed all of the trollocs that had attempted to enter the house on his side. He ran to help Tam, since he could still hear the ring of metal on metal coming from the other side of the house. Suddenly he heard Tam scream in pain, just as he ran into the room.

When Rand entered the room, he came to a halt immediately. Tam was in the arms of a trolloc, with a blade held to his throat. Tam's face was a bloody mess and Rand could tell that he had just passed out. Sprayed across the once clean room were trolloc bodies and dark blood that stained the furniture.

Rand knew he had little hope of keeping Tam alive. He would have to channel or listen to what the trolloc had to say. As he held the void, he heard the trolloc begin to speak. "You put sword down. Narg no hurt you. Myrddraal to talk to you."

The trolloc obviously couldn't speak very well, but its meaning was clear. A Fade wished to talk to Rand. This he did not expect, of all the things that had happened tonight. The trolloc continued to tell Rand to put his sword down, therefore Rand did so reluctantly, knowing he had no other choice.

However, Rand knew he was not weaponless. He still had saidin. However, he did not dare to seize saidin yet, knowing he could not hold it for long. The Myrddraal was on its way, so it was more logical to fight them at once rather than have to battle the taint twice.

So Rand waited, constantly alert as the trolloc continued to hold its sword to the Tam's throat. After about a half an hour of waiting, Rand was starting to lose his patience and was starting to think he should kill the trolloc now and deal with the Myrddraal later.

However, as soon as this thought crossed Rand's mind, the dark horseman stepped into the house through the ruined front door. The first thing Rand noticed was it had no eyes, but he felt like the Fade was staring at him. It was hard to pull his gaze away from the face of the eyeless.

As soon as the Fade entered the room, Rand prepared himself to seize saidin. When the Myrddraal entered the room, Rand's first instinct was to back away. However, he bettered himself, took saidin and stood tall, despite the intense gaze from the eyeless face.

Suddenly, the Myrddraal spoke, its voice coming out in a hoarse whisper. "Ah, I have found you boy. Did you think you could hide from me? You shine like a beacon. I can sense the power you have. You have the ability to channel more saidin than the Great Lords, who now walk the earth once more. Do you think that will do you any good against me, Lews Therin. You will come with me and serve the Great Lord of the Dark."

As the Fade finished its speech, Rand fumbled for words. The Fade had called him Lews Therin. Sure he could channel, but surely he was not the Dragon Reborn. How could he be more powerful than the Forsaken? Also, the Fade had said that these 'Great Lords' walked the earth once more. How could the Forsaken be loose? However, he had more important matters to deal with, such as the Myrddraal in front of him.

Undoubtedly, if his initial attacked failed, Tam would be killed. However, he did not know any weaves that would kill the Halfman instantly. He only had rudimentary control over saidin and did not really know what he was doing. He could feel the taint pulling at him, nauseating his stomach.

Suddenly, a new weave popped into his mind. Rand did not know what it would do, but he thought it would work in this situation. However, he dared not use it yet. He needed more information from the Myrddraal.

"Why do you call me, Lews Therin," he asked the Myrddraal. "I am not the Dragon Reborn. Why have you attacked us?"

The Fade laughed. A sickening, terrifying, and disturbing laugh. "Why did we attack you ask. You are a fool. I expected the all powerful Dragon to be at least a little intelligent. We attacked because you are the Dragon, you fool. Do you think we would risk leaving the Blight for a simple channeler? You will serve the Great Lord of the Dark and we have come to take you to him."

The Fade broke out laughing again. Rand realized that the farm must be surrounded by trollocs for the Fade to be so forthcoming. It was overconfident. That would be its undoing. Rand readied himself and the power burst out of him in torrents, he had never dreamed of channeling before.

From his hands, a bar of liquid, burning hot, white fire blasted toward the Myrddraal. It hit the Fade and the Halfman simply seized to exist. A passing image of the Fade passed before his eyes, before disappearing. Rand had no idea what he had just done.

However, he knew he had reached a turning point in his life. Knowledge of saidin came pouring into his head. Not a ton, but a lot more than he had previously.

As soon as the Fade had been destroyed, Rand heard trollocs shouting and fleeing from the farm in terror. The one trolloc in the room released Tam and backed up against the wall. Rand picked up his sword and cut its head off. As the body of the trolloc fell, Rand turned to Tam.

Tam was burning up. He had a fever and was still unconscious. Blood poured down his face from a wound on his scalp. Rand examined it and was not too worried. The cut was shallow, but it bled profusely. However, Tam had another wound.

Rand turned Tam over to examine his torso. Rand noticed that Tam's shirt was torn on his right side, just underneath the ribcage. Tam had a deep wound, where a trolloc's blade had obviously struck him. While this wound did not bleed quite as much as the scalp wound did, it was clearly more serious.

The skin around the hole in Tam's side had turned a greenish color. It was clearly infected. Rand quickly made a decision and turned Tam back over. He ran out to the stable and discovered that Bela was somehow still in her stall. For some reason, the trollocs did not attack her.

Rand saddled Bela and latched the wagon to her harness. As soon as this task was complete, Rand ran back inside, washed Tam's wounds with one of the few clean cloths he could find and carried Tam to the wagon.

Rand strapped Tam in, and led Bela out of the stable and towards Quarry Road. Even if it was in the middle of the night, he had to get Tam to the village wisdom, Nynaeve or Moiraine. Rand had read about the healing talents that Aes Sedai possessed, but she would be a last resort.

* * *

Moiraine had woken in the middle of the night. She was tense, but at first she was not aware of the cause. Then she realized that Lan was up and had left the inn. The uneasiness was coming from the bond. Lan had felt shadowspawn in the area.

Moiraine rushed out of bed and quickly put her riding dress on and prepared herself for whatever was out there. She quickly snuck out of the inn and met Lan at the edge of town. Lan had their two horses ready. As she approached, Lan motioned her to be quiet.

Moiraine quickly hopped on her horse and followed Lan at a trot. She was curious as to what was out there, so she asked, "What is out there, Lan? Is it trollocs?"

Lan replied in an even softer tone, "There are trollocs and a Halfman in the area. I can feel the presence of the Halfman, although it is heading down Quarry Road."

They headed down the road silently, careful to make no noise to alert anything of their presence. Moiraine realized that the Fade must have attacked Rand al'Thor's farm. She wondered why it had not attacked the village, but if she was sure Rand was the Dragon Reborn, maybe the Myrddraal was as well.

They continued to ride relatively slowly for about half and hour, when Lan said he felt the Fade's presence stop in one place. The Fade had obviously reached the al'Thor household. Moiraine and Lan continued to slowly approach the farmhouse, when all hell broke loose.

Through the window a white fire, unlike anything Moiraine had ever seen was flying through the air. She knew what that must be. How could the boy have learned to channel balefire already? Or was a Dreadlord attacking Rand?

However, Moiraine was quickly rid of doubt. The trollocs were fleeing in absolute terror. It must be the boy. She wasn't even aware that he could channel, let alone balefire. Lan ushered her off the road, to hide from the fleeing trollocs. The trollocs continued to rush by. She marveled at their numbers. A fist. That many trollocs had not been seen south of the Blight since the Trolloc Wars.

Then, something else was coming up the road. It was a horse and wagon, with a man leading it. Moiraine quickly rushed back out into the road where she met for the second time, Rand al'Thor.

* * *

Rand had just left the farm and was little less than a hundred feet onto the road, when he literally almost ran into Moiraine. The warder, Lan quickly ran out of the trees to her side.

"We meet again, Aes Sedai," was Rand's greeting. "What are you doing down here? If you came to fight the Fade, it is too late, I already killed it."

Moiraine sighed. "Rand, we sensed shadowspawn in the area, so we came to investigate. I am sorry that we did not come in time. Is your father hurt?" When Rand nodded, Moiraine moved over towards Tam and began examining him.

Rand watched warily, but made up his mind and asked for her help. Tam needed immediate care. "Will you heal him Moiraine Sedai? He has taken a bad side wound, although the scalp wound does not appear serious."

Moiraine replied, "I will do what I can." She continued to examine Tam and her face grew tighter the more she looked. "Rand, he has been stabbed with a blade made on the slopes of Shayol Ghul. These weapons carry a taint. The wound is bad enough, and would kill him in a couple of hours, without the poison. I am afraid there is nothing I can do. He has already lost too much blood, and the taint destroys his mind. There is hardly anything left for me to heal. I can awaken him, so you can speak to him one last time, but I can not heal him. I am sorry."

Rand sighed when he heard Moiraine's pronouncement. Tam was going to die. His face grew expressionless and he said, "Awaken him."

Moiraine studied Rand's face for a moment before bending down to Tam. Rand saw her place her hands on Tam's head and suddenly Tam's eyes opened. Tam searched their faces until his gaze came to rest on Rand.

Tam started to speak, "Rand, my son, I am not long for this world. My thread is about to be cut. Do not grieve for me. I have lived a full life. Before I go, I have one thing to give to you. When I found you, next to your mother's dead body, I found two items that she had placed in your tiny hands. I have kept these ever since. I give them to you now, my son. Fare you well."

As Tam continued speaking his breathing became more and more ragged. After speaking, Tam placed two items into Rand's hands, that he had taken out of his coat pocket. One was a personal seal and the other was a ring. Both the seal and the ring had a woman's hand gripping a thorny rose stem with a white blossom. While this meant nothing to Rand, he heard Moiraine gasp as she saw the sigil.

Rand turned his gaze back to Tam with tears in his eyes. Tam only had seconds left. "Father, I am honored to have had you raise me. May you rest in peace." And with that Tam al'Thor, blademaster, captain of the Illian army in the wars with Tear and the Aiel, farmer, and father died.

Tears poured down Rand's face as he knew that his father, Tam, had given his life to protect him. Rand vowed he would earn revenge on the shadow for this death and would fight the Dark One with all of his might.

Moiraine interrupted Rand's thoughts. "We should give Tam a proper burial before we leave. This is a tragic occurrence brought on by the shadow. Tam has given his life for the light and we honor him.

She continued, "Rand, the seal and the ring have the personal sigil of Tigraine Mantear, former Daughter-Heir of Andor. Now you must go to Caemlyn. Queen Morgase must be informed of this. The Daughter-Heir, Elayne, is my niece. We will receive welcome in the palace."

Rand, still shell-shocked nodded without realizing what he was agreeing to. He still could not believe Tam had died. Everything had happened that night was a shock. He had to get out of the Two Rivers. He definitely could not stay here any more.

Rand made his way back to the farm along with Moiraine and Lan. Along with Lan he buried Tam next to the farmhouse. Rand gathered up his belongings and left his home. They traveled back into the village, told the mayor that Tam had been killed by thieves, and began their trip out of the Two Rivers.

Rand al'Thor son of Tigraine Mantear was on his way to Caemlyn.

Sorry for the wait. I have been busy with my High School Graduation Party. This is the second chapter of what appears to be a story that is unfolding before my eyes. This story at the moment seems easier to write than With the Daughter of the Night, my other fic. For the moment I will continue to write this story, with occasional updates of the other fic, unless you like the other fic better. With the Daughter of the Night is not abandoned, just this story is my chief focus right now. Tell me how you like the chapter. The next chapter will be the first leg of the journey to Caemlyn, with a possible meeting with Min and discussions with Moiraine. Please review.


	3. Chapter 3 Conversations and Flight

Chapter 3 – Conversations and Flight

The odd threesome had reached Baerlon without any trouble. Lan had urged them on and they had made the trip in just a couple of days. While the trip was smooth, the owner of the ferry boat had attempted to rob them before Lan had scared them off. However, this did not disturb Rand greatly as he knew of the nature of the Taren Ferry folk.

They were now staying in the Stag and Lion, a decent inn in Baerlon. Here Moiraine was known as Mistress Alys and Lan was Master Andra. They had arrived the previous day and Moiraine had informed Rand that they would spend the day in Baerlon before leaving tomorrow morning.

Rand was just about to leave the inn to go have a look at the city when someone grabbed him from the side and dragged him into a private parlor. When the door to the room was shut, he studied the woman who had grabbed him. She had short, dark hair and knowledgeable, large, dark eyes. What was most striking about her was she was dressed in a boy's coat and breeches.

She was somewhat pretty if you could get past the tomboy look, Rand supposed. He had seen her briefly with Moiraine the previous night, but the two of them had disappeared into Moiraine's room. Wondering what she wanted Rand started to speak but she interrupted him.

"Wow, I see so much surrounding you. Never mind. You must be Rand. Are you not?" When Rand nodded the woman continued. "My name is Min. You must have seen me with Moiraine yesterday."

"Well Min, it is nice to meet you, but you should keep Moiraine's name quiet. And what do you mean about seeing things around me?" Rand was frankly a little confused by the girl and his facial expression must have shown it because she laughed.

"We are in a private parlor, sheepherder, no one can hear us." Suddenly Min stopped laughing and her face grew more serious.

"I…I see parts of people's futures I guess. Moiraine told me I see pieces of the Pattern, but that sounds too important for me. I just see things about people and sometimes I know what they mean."

Min's face grew somber as she obviously remembered one of these viewings. "Like just back in the common room, I saw a man that will be killed. I saw his death and a white cloak, so he must end up killed by one of the Children of the Light."

Rand could tell that this ability could be hard on her, just like his special ability was on him. His face took on a pitying countenance as he spoke to her. "I am sorry, Min. There really is nothing you can do is there?"

Min shook her head and seemed to regain some of her boyish spirit. A grin broke onto her face and Rand knew it meant trouble.

"Moiraine wants me to read someone in particular. Can you guess who that is sheepherder?" Min asked teasingly.

Rand let out a sigh. He knew Min must be instructed to take a look at him. Moiraine was a Blue. She needed information so that she could manipulate him.

"Oh, I can guess." Rand replied. "So are you going to tell me what you see around me or not?"

"I can see all sorts of things around you." Min started and she seemed to go into a trance with her dark eyes glazed over.

She continued, "I see a sword that is not a sword, a tiny male statue, two golden dragons, a heron, a golden lily, strings, and many other things."

Min's face took on a puzzled look. "I do not know what any of those things mean. I also see lighting around you, which must mean you are at the center of some conflict. You must be more important than you look sheepherder." Min teased.

Min continued with a slightly more meaningful tone. "The clearest thing to me is that three women will love you. One will despise you and never express herself, one woman will become one of your closest friends, and the last lady will stand by you, be your lover, and be the center of your whole life."

Min's face took on a big grin. "You certainly will have women at your feet, sheepherder. What will you do with them is the question. And you and I will meet again. Fare you well sheepherder, I must get back to work."

That quickly she just patted his cheek and took off. Rand yelled after her, "My name is Rand." Rand heard her giggle before she rounded the corner and disappeared from view.

Rand left, thinking that talking with Min was definitely the one of the oddest things he had ever done. The streets of Baerlon were fairly busy with vendors all along the streets. Rand saw a couple of whitecloaks, but he carefully avoided them thankful that Mat was not present to stir up trouble.

While Rand was taking in the sights of the biggest city he had ever seen, he thought back to what Min had said. Three women would love him, she said. Surely that was preposterous. At least he wasn't going to string them all along. By the sound of it he would have a wonderful lover, and he would maintain friendship with one of the other two.

However, the things she had seen around him made little sense. The heron could be linked to him being a blademaster, but what did the sword that was not a sword, the tiny male statue, the golden dragons, the golden lily, and the strings represent? He would just have to find out in time.

One other thing was bothering him though. The previous night he had a dream of a man with eyes of fire. The man claimed to be Ba'alzamon, but Rand knew the man could not be the dark one. The Myrddraal had said that the Forsaken were loose. Maybe this was one of them who had entered his dreams pretending to be The Dark One.

The man had called him Lews Therin, like the Fade did. So far he had avoided talking with Moiraine about his conversation with the Halfman, but he did not know how much longer he could conceal what the Myrddraal had said.

The man, whoever he was, had said something about the Eye of the World not serving him and he claimed that Rand should serve the Dark One. What a load of tosh. Shadowspawn had killed Tam; he would never serve the Dark One.

Rand eventually went back to the Stag and Lion. He had seen Padan Fain, but he didn't think anything of it. He went to sleep and the worries of the day were washed away.

* * *

Rand sighed as they left Baerlon. It was nice to have a little relaxation, which he had enjoyed in the short time they were in the small city. Now it was back to constant travel and sleeping on the hard ground.

They continued to travel down the road towards Caemlyn for several days. Just as Rand got used to the daily routine of their travel, it was shattered.

Rand saw Lan come rushing back from his scouting of the road ahead. There was obviously a problem, so Rand readied himself to leave. "Three fists of trollocs, led by five fades, coming towards us," Lan shouted.

"Moiraine, we must head towards Aridhol. It is our only hope. The shadowspawn will not enter there." Lan said to Moiraine in a rush.

Moiraine replied, "You are right Lan, as much as we should avoid that place it is our only hope." With a grim expression she turned to Rand. "Quickly now, Rand. We must outrun the shadowspawn. We will probably have to do battle with some of them, but we will avoid some of them if we hurry."

So they ran. The horses were being pushed nearly to death with the extreme exertion. Moiraine stopped them every once in a while to relieve the horses of their exhaustion, but Rand knew that she was wearing down herself. Rand subtly pushed some of his power into each of the horses, so their surges in energy would not be noticeable.

Suddenly, they came over the crest of a hill and stopped at the sight before them. Rand saw Moiraine grimace and Lan's face grow even stonier. Before them was probably a hundred trollocs and Rand could see three Fades. Plus they still had the trollocs and Myrddraal behind them.

Rand knew that one of his secrets was about to be revealed. The only way they could escape this band of trollocs and Fades was if he used saidin. They had to reach Aridhol before the other trollocs were upon them.

Searching threw his knowledge of saidin looking for a weave to destroy the shadowspawn in front of them at once, Rand came to a halt. Neither Moiraine nor Lan noticed anything because they had both come to a halt as well.

Suddenly Rand thought of the perfect weave. Arrows of Fire. They would quickly decimate the trollocs and then he would take his chances with the Myrddraal. Making a quick decision Rand channeled.

With his arms thrust out in front of him, Rand seized saidin. He wove numerous Arrows of Fire, before letting down his hands and surveying the scene before him.

Trolloc bodies were scattered across the field. A sickening stench of burning flesh reached Rand, coming from the burning trollocs. He resisted the urge to hurl over the side of his horse. The only enemies remaining were the three Fades, who stood surveying Rand coolly.

Rand chanced a glance at Moiraine and Lan. Lan was surveying the scene in front of him with his traditional emotionless gaze. Rand looked over to Moiraine who was also studying the field with her cold eyes. Neither of them seemed very surprised with Rand's ability to channel or with his control over saidin.

Lan turned and met Rand's gaze. The warder nodded as if acknowledging Rand. Rand felt his appreciation of the warder grow as he knew nothing had changed between the two of them.

As if sensing the silent exchange, Moiraine turned to the two and said, "We will discuss this later. Rand, destroy the three Fades. I will start a fire here and set a false path for the Myrddraal behind us to follow."

Without even acknowledging Moiraine, Rand turned back to the three Myrddraal who appeared slightly uneasy. With barely any effort Rand wove three more Arrows of Fire which pierced the Myrddraal in the chest and killed them.

Rand released saidin as the three resumed their frenzied rush. When they reached the crest of the next hill, Moiraine ordered them to stop. Rand saw her turn and Goosebumps broke out on his arms. Moiraine was channeling.

He saw her start a fire where most of the trolloc bodies lay. She then turned her attention to something else. Rand saw sweat start to bead on Moiraine's face despite the ever present serenity. However, when she turned back to them, the sweat was gone and the Moiraine's constant coolness had returned.

She said, "Let us go. The false trail is set. You will have to lead us Lan, I am very tired."

Rand could tell she was exhausted by the short sentences she used. She would not speak for the next three hours until they reached Shadar Logoth.

Rand did not really know what to expect of Shadar Logoth. Both Moiraine and Lan seemed to speak of it with dread, their faces lined with worry when they spoke of it. If trollocs and Fades would not enter the place, then something truly evil must lurk there.

After about three hours of riding, Rand caught his first glimpse of Shadar Logoth. It was an abandoned city that made Baerlon, the largest city Rand had ever seen, look like a little village. The place had clearly fallen into ruin but it must have been a great city once.

As they approached the huge gate opening, Moiraine said, "Rand, you must stay with Lan and me while we are in the city. Death lurks at every corner of this place and avoid channeling at all costs while we are in Shadar Logoth. I will find a place for us to rest."

With that they entered the ruins of the city of Aridhol. An eerie silence seemed to inhabit the darkness and made Rand conscious of every little noise that their group made. He kept with Moiraine and was wondering when she would find a place to stay, when she suddenly stopped.

Rand saw her study the building to their left and she said, "We will stay here for the night." Rand let her go first and led his horse into the building.

After a couple minutes Moiraine spoke up, "I have warded this place from the evils that lurk in this city. Do not leave this building until it is time for us to go. Throughout the walls of this city there lies mashadar, which can not be fought and will kill you. It is a black shadow that floats in the air and will strike at anything that comes near it. The wards will protect us here, but I dare not place anything more or we will attract the Fades as well as mashadar."

After listening to her speech, Rand understood why she had cautioned him before entering the city. Now he was just waiting for the inevitable, and that did not take long to come to pass.

Moiraine turned to Rand with a solemn expression and asked, "Rand, how long have you been able to channel?"

With a sigh and a resigned look, Rand said, "A couple of months. I discovered I could channel when I was practicing the sword with Tam. There was a light beckoning to me from the void and I bathed in the light and suddenly I felt the taint. It is so disgusting. Saidin feels so good, but the taint just destroys it."

Rand stopped and gave Moiraine a shrewd look. "I can tell that you knew I could channel from the beginning. Why are you not rushing me off to Tar Valon to be gentled by the reds? You are Blue Ajah, who are meddlers in world affairs. Obviously I am important in some way, but I wish for you to tell me."

Moiraine sighed and for once her gaze softened. "You are very intelligent Rand. Yes, I knew you could channel from the beginning and yes I am of the Blue Ajah, which as you know are meddlers.

"I do not wish to see you gentled because you are the Dragon Reborn. The Dragon can not be gentled. It would cause a catastrophe and the Dark One would rule the earth."

With that pronouncement, silence hovered over the camp. To Moiraine's immense surprise Rand took the news fairly well.

And then to her complete astonishment he said, "I know. The Myrddraal told me I was the Dragon and a man in my dreams claiming to be Ba'alzamon kept calling me Lews Therin. You were obviously interested in me for the world's sake, so I knew I had to be the Dragon."

With that Rand lapsed into silence with a sigh. Moiraine with compassion that Rand did not know she possessed laid a hand on his forearm and said, "I know you do not wish to be the Dragon Rand, but there is nothing you can do to stop the pattern. I can not teach you but I will be there to help you make decisions and be a councilor. Maybe you will be able to rid saidin of the taint. The Dragon has amazing powers and you have already showcased them."

Moiraine was about to continue when Lan abruptly stood up. "There is shadowspawn inside the city," he barked. Quickly Moiraine and Rand readied their horses and prepared to leave. Rand heard Moiraine tell him they would continue this talk later as they rushed out of the building.

As soon as Rand left the building, a sense of wariness penetrated him. Along with Moiraine and Lan, Rand rushed through the dark streets not really knowing where they were going when suddenly two trollocs slammed him out of his saddle.

As Rand got back up he took out his sword and stepped into the void. Rand quickly killed the two trollocs with the blade but more had separated him from Moiraine and Lan.

Above the din of fighting Moiraine shouted, "Rand whatever happens continue on to Caemlyn. We will meet you there." After shouting Moiraine ran off with Lan as the trollocs chased after them.

Rand ran the other way with trollocs following, when suddenly he encountered mashadar. He was trapped mashadar was in front of him and about twenty trollocs behind him. Rand truly felt alone.

* * *

Sorry for the Cliffhanger. Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter as the story starts to have more action. The story will gradually become more different from the books. Please review and hopefully I will have another chapter up in less than a week.


	4. Chapter 4 On His Own

A Different Beginning

Chapter 4 – On His Own

Sorry for the longer wait. This chapter is a bit longer than the others, so it took a little longer to write and I have been fairly busy. I hope you enjoy this chapter and see if your guess about how Rand escaped was right.

* * *

_Above the din of fighting Moiraine shouted, "Rand whatever happens continue on to Caemlyn. We will meet you there." After shouting Moiraine ran off with Lan as the trollocs chased after them. _

_Rand ran the other way with trollocs following, when suddenly he encountered mashadar. He was trapped mashadar was in front of him and about twenty trollocs behind him. Rand truly felt alone. _

Chapter 4 – On His Own

Without thinking Rand cast balefire into the mashadar. Mashadar was beaten back for a minute but it came back stronger than ever. In the quick little respite, Rand had hacked down four trollocs. Sixteen remained.

Rand knew he could not continue to fight one enemy at a time. Knowing that his channeling would attract mashadar, Rand turned his back to the trollocs and faced the black shadow.

It continued to close in on Rand when another torrent of balefire burst out of Rand's hands. The balefire did its job and Rand had a momentary break from the two pronged battle.

While Rand was channeling, the trollocs backed up in fear. This allowed Rand all the time he needed to attack.

Sixteen Arrows of Fire lit up the dark alleyway as all of the trollocs collapsed, dead. However, in the brief moment that Rand had channeled, mashadar had regrouped.

Attracted by his channeling Rand saw the deadly shadow come towards him. One more time Rand channeled and wove balefire to beat back his unrelenting enemy.

This time Rand held the balefire longer, destroying more of the black shadow. After about thirty seconds Rand stopped and ran the other way. He knew mashadar would be back in that area after a few seconds.

Through the long empty streets he ran, desperately trying to find an exit from the maze of unending buildings. After running through a crossroads, suddenly Rand spotted the river, a sight he had been dying to see.

Hope blossomed in Rand's heart as he came to a halt. He turned around and turned east towards the river. A few more blocks and he would be free of the oppressing ruins and the constant danger.

Just as Rand thought he was free, the man from his dreams suddenly appeared in front of him. The man's eyes burned with fire and the flickering red light was the only thing that allowed Rand to spot him.

He wore a black cloak and seemed shrouded in shadow. However, Rand noticed that he kept a constant lookout as well. Mashadar must be a danger to him Rand supposed. As Rand came to a halt before the man, he saw a boat running down the river. He would not be able to board. He would have to swim across the river and make his way cross country to Caemlyn.

Once Rand stopped, the man spoke, "Look at you Lews Therin. Running for your life from the shadow that I command. You lack your former power and prestige. However, there is one way you can avoid worrying for your life and gain power and prestige at the same time. You should join me, Lews Therin."

In answer, Rand flung balefire at the man. However, the man had calmly stepped aside but a frown had appeared on his face. Rand somehow knew that this man could channel, after all he had to be one of the Forsaken. The man would not be easily defeated and he did not have time for a long fight.

The man stared contemptuously at Rand. He spoke, "You are a fool, Lews Therin. We have done countless battles over the years and you have never won a final victory. Your answer has proclaimed your doom. You will be severed from the pattern. Die, Lews Therin."

With that Rand felt the Forsaken seize saidin. Just as quickly balefire was fired from the man's hands. Rand warily stepped aside and flung balefire at the man. However, the man seemed to know it was coming and dodged the white fire. This pattern continued for several minutes.

The battle was broken up when the shadows around the man started to diminish. Rand saw the man look behind him quickly and mashadar came rushing towards the pair. "We will meet again, Dragon." With that the man who called himself Ba'alzamon suddenly vanished.

Now Rand was alone and mashadar was closing quickly on him. Turning, Rand ran as fast as he could towards the river. Somehow he knew that mashadar could not leave the ruins of the once great city-state of Aridhol.

With his face set, Rand turned and saw that despite his efforts mashadar was closing in on him. As he approached the river, Rand pushed as hard as he could and dove into the water.

He surfaced several feet from shore, where he saw the black shadow, mashadar lurking. He had obviously just made it, by fractions of a second. Without further thought about the close call, Rand swam across the river.

* * *

Moiraine sat and watched as flashes of bright white light lit up the sky. She and Lan had escaped the ruins to the South. At the time of parting with Rand, she had few worries that the boy would not make it to Caemlyn in one piece. However as soon as balefire started lighting up the sky repeatedly, she was not so sure.

Initially she had seen a couple flashes of balefire and had thought that the boy was fighting mashadar. The flashes stopped for several minutes until they resumed farther to the northeast.

At first she was not worried, and then she noticed a difference in the flashes of light. The flashes were not originating in the same spot but in two spots right near each other. There had to be two casters of the balefire.

One of the Forsaken had to be loose and Rand was battling him or her. Now she needed to move on with her plans for the boy even faster if the Forsaken were loose. Anyways, how could the boy stand up to one of the Forsaken for long. Rand had only months to perfect his channeling, while the Forsaken had been channeling for thousands of years.

Just as hope started to fade in Moiraine's heart, the flashes of balefire suddenly stopped, yet she could still feel the boy. He had survived against all odds, but he was the Dragon Reborn she mused.

The boy would probably cross the river and make his way cross country to Caemlyn. She and Lan were still on the west side of the river, so they would go down to Whitebridge and make their way to Caemlyn by more traditional means.

The trollocs she and Lan had faced had pushed them south. Lan had no trouble killing the beasts and they had not encountered mashadar on their way out of Shadar Logoth. She wished she could have guided the boy, but it would be interesting to see how strong the boy could bend the pattern. On his own it would be clear how strong a ta'veren he was.

She was abruptly brought out of her pondering by Lan who was saddling the horses. He had asked if she was ready to leave. Through their bond he already knew they were heading south. Replying with an affirmative, Moiraine mounted her horse and started on her way to Caemlyn.

* * *

The Two Rivers was in an uproar. The village wisdom, Nynaeve had taken an apprentice despite her young age. Egwene al'Vere, the mayor's daughter was this apprentice. To have two young wisdoms was unheard of in the Two Rivers.

On top of that Tam al'Thor had been recently murdered. The village council had fallen into chaos without him and his replacement, Rand had vanished right after Tam's death. Even the Women's Circle could accomplish nothing with the confusion of having two wisdoms.

There were also rumors of wars with a False Dragon who could channel in Ghealdan, which sent the villagers into an uproar. The Congars and Coplins had taken to putting the Dragon's Fang on nearly everyone's door.

In total thought Bran al'Vere, the village was at its worse. His daughter was going against his wishes by trying to become a wisdom, his best friend and most loyal council member was dead, and the rising star of the village, Rand, had disappeared. Things could not be a whole lot worse.

However, some good news had come in recent days. Perrin Aybara had been pronounced a master blacksmith by Master Luhhan. Perrin would set up his own smithy and that would lead to more income for the village from the people in other villages.

Also, Mat Cauthon had finally settled down. The disappearance of Rand had been hard on him. His mischievousness had lessened and he was a good worker on his father's farm.

The mayor took these as signs that the worst was passing. Also, the winter had finally ended and that was the most promising sign. While Bran al'Vere was incorrect and the wars of the Dragon had yet to start, the Two Rivers would be spared and live in obscurity for the rest of the age.

* * *

It was two days since Rand had escaped the ruins of the once great city-state of Aridhol. He had risked building a fire to dry his clothes and warm himself up after swimming across the frigid river. Sometimes not being able to use the power on himself was really constricting.

However, he had encountered no enemies after dousing the fire. For two days he had traveled steadily southeast, not encountering any humans along the way. That was fine. No humans meant there were no darkfriends to hunt him.

He had hunted for food the last couple days and had eaten surprisingly well, finding rabbits, squirrels, and fish that he had caught in a shallow brook.

Rand had studied maps when he had lived at home with Tam. Thinking of Tam still caused Rand pain as Rand thought back to the times he and Tam had studied the maps together.

He could continue directly east and encounter Braem Wood, with the Tar Valon/CaemlynRoad on the other side of the wood. However, that would take to long and was not a very practical route.

Another option was to head south and take the Whitebridge Road to Caemlyn. However, this road was full of villages and Rand wanted to avoid a good portion of them before reaching Caemlyn.

The path he would take would lead him to the road from Whitebridge to Caemlyn, but he would avoid most of it by heading southeast cross country. This way he would avoid human habitation and still have a very quick trip to Caemlyn.

Rand knew that there was a large village named Four Kings a few days from Caemlyn on the road. He would pick up the road as soon as he passed that village. Having made up his mind, Rand picked up his pack and readied himself for another long day of walking.

* * *

Four days later, Rand had set up camp to the north of the village, Four Kings. He could see the smoke pouring out from homes in the village. The first part of his journey was complete.

The four day trip had been fairly easy. Rand had pushed himself but had not worn himself out from four days of walking. He had encountered little during the four day stretch. He had heard wolves to the north, but had been far enough south to avoid them. He had also seen a group of Tinkers, but he had avoided their dogs and they had not seen him.

Now the next phase of his journey would begin. He would have to travel by road, but he would do it in a way to avoid human contact. He was sure the man who called himself Ba'alzamon would have enlisted help from Darkfriends to stop Rand from reaching Caemlyn.

He would travel at night, so he would not meet anybody upon the road. During the day he would rest near the road, but far enough away from it that no body leaving the road would encounter him.

It was even more important now than before that he avoid contact with other people after he had heard the news from the village. He had snuck into the village and had hidden in the shadows to see if he could pick up any rumors that may pertain to him.

Apparently the False Dragon, Logain, had been captured and was to be paraded in the streets of Caemlyn before Queen Morgase. Followers of the Dragon were heading towards Caemlyn in the thousands.

This could be beneficial for Rand once he reached the city, but it would not help him on his way there. These followers could be darkfriends and he did not want to meet them upon the road. However, when he reached the city his arrival would just be chalked up to the arrival of yet another person to see the False Dragon.

Therefore, Rand waited until about an hour after the sun went down before he set out. His plan would work, he hoped. He hoped he would be the only one stupid enough to travel the road in the dark.

Three days, Rand thought. In three days he would have reached Caemlyn and one of the most dangerous parts of the journey would be over. With a determined expression, Rand started his journey to Caemlyn on the dark and most importantly, empty street.

* * *

He had done it. After four nights of travel, Rand had reached the gates of Caemlyn. The city was huge. He had thought Baerlon was fairly big, but it was nothing compared to Caemlyn. Caemlyn was more majestic and could easily fit ten cities the size of Baerlon inside of its high walls.

Surprisingly, Rand had met little trouble on his journey. The trip had taken a day longer than he thought it would, but the dark slowed him down. While he was expecting the worse, traveling at night turned out to be a brilliant plan. He had only one close call and that had come during the day. A man had wandered well off of the road and had nearly stumbled upon Rand's camp. Luckily the man had turned back when he realized he was far from the road.

At night, there were no travelers, so Rand was able to travel without encountering anyone. Hopefully his journey would go unnoticed and he would have gained a head start on the darkfriends trying to kill him.

It was mid-morning now and the road was packed with youngsters around Rand's age entering the city through the gates to see the procession of the False Dragon. Grateful for this Rand slipped among them and managed to pass through the gate without notice.

Rand walked up the main street towards the center of Caemlyn, where he noticed that everyman either wore a red or white cloth on their sword pommel. This must have some meaning he thought, but as he had just arrived he did not know the meaning.

However, people were starting to give him odd looks and Rand knew that the heron on his blade would stand out. Therefore he looked for a shop that was selling the cloth. Rand hoped it was not expensive, he barely had enough for a few nights at an inn, but he knew he had to buy the cloth. Hopefully Moiraine would come and then he would not have to pay for a room.

As he walked in the store, Rand immediately noticed that there was less white fabric than red, but did not think anything of it. He saw that the red cloth was cheaper than the white so he cut a piece and paid for it. For some reason the shopkeeper gave him a contemptuous look as Rand purchased the cloth.

For a few minutes Rand walked around the city looking for a decent inn. After about an hour Rand stopped in front of the Queen's Blessing. The sign said that Basel Gill was the innkeeper. Making his way inside, Rand noticed the common room was clean and was fairly full for this time of day.

Deciding that he would stay here if he could afford it, Rand approached the innkeeper. The man turned out to be kind and the price was in Rand's range, he could afford to spend three nights here.

Hoping that his room was as nice as the rest of the inn, Rand went up to his room. It was well furnished and Rand made himself at home. In the streets he had gathered that Logain was to be shown tomorrow in a parade around the streets. He would stay in the inn today, but venture out tomorrow.

Looking for somewhere quiet, Rand opened the door to the library and saw something that resembled a trolloc. However, logic took over, and Rand realized that the thing was not a trolloc, because a trolloc would not be in an inter-city inn.

Rand watched as it turned towards him and then he recognized it as an ogier. They were builders and lived a lot longer than humans. He was surprised one had left the stedding.

The ogier with a bemused look said, "I am surprised you did not attack me. I have been forced to stay up here because everyone thinks I am a trolloc. Oh, my name is Loial of Stedding Shangtai.

Rand replied, "It is nice to meet you, Loial. My name is Rand al'Thor. How did you come to leave the stedding?"

Loial went on to tell Rand about his leaving without the elder's permission. Rand found the story fascinating and he quickly became friends with Loial. When Loial asked about Rand, Rand told him his story, leaving out the channeling and the Dragon parts. He knew that Loial could be trusted since he was an ogier. Loial wished to accompany Rand when they left, but Rand made no promises telling him it was up to Moiraine.

The discussion helped Rand learn a lot about Caemlyn. Apparently the red cloth Rand wore represented that he supported the Queen, but the white cloth was in opposition to the Queen's Aes Sedai advisor, Elaida.

While Rand did not wish he was involved in the politics of Caemlyn when he was going to be introduced to the Queen as a noble, Rand knew that he had made the right choice even if it was because it cost less.

Wishing Loial goodnight, Rand headed to bed, glad that the journey was over. Now he just had to meet the Queen in a couple days if Moiraine came. He did not know what he would do if she did not come.

* * *

The next day Rand was wandering the streets of the Old City where the Parade was supposed to pass through. The Queen's Guard was out in force but a mob with white cloths on their swords was starting trouble they were pushing to the front in order to get a good look at Logain. The guards tried to stop them but there were too many in the mob for the Guard to contain when it was so spread out around the city.

Rand had managed to get a decent view but was unfortunately near the group with the white cloth. They seemed to be everywhere in the city. Rand grimaced, but his facial expression quickly changed as the parade started by.

Leading were Andoran soldiers bearing the white lion on a red flag. This was the sign of Caemlyn. Rows upon rows of soldiers marched by, the majority of them coming from Caemlyn.

Next came a huge cage pulled by sixteen horses holding a tall man that held his head high despite his imprisonment. Watchers grew silent as his gaze fell upon him. It was as if the cage wasn't even there thought Rand. The man held himself with an aura of power.

However, he was locked up. Two Aes Sedai had their eyes on the cage Rand noted and several warders rode near the cage. The man was definitely dangerous even if he was locked in a cage.

As the procession passed the crowd began to grow restless. The mob of whites, as Rand had nicknamed them, were especially enraged. Apparently seeing Logain had set them off. Rand tried to edge away from them but suddenly one shouted, "That man wears red, get him."

Hearing this Rand scampered away but five men were on his heels. Rand did not know where he was headed, but he found himself next to a tall wall that looked like it could be climbed.

Rand quickly reached the top not noticing the boy and girl perched in the tree above him. They were watching curiously but did not speak up.

However, Rand's victory was short-lived as three men made it up the wall. The other two had fallen off and had walked away. They followed Rand down the other side not noticing the pair in the tree climb down behind them.

Seeing that he was in someone's private garden Rand came to a halt knowing that he would have to face the men. He turned and noticed that there was a boy about his age behind the men and a girl maybe a year or two younger. They stayed silent and a good distance away, but within hearing range.

The men noticed nothing however and two pulled out their swords and one took out a bow. Rand seized the void and one man spoke. "Prepare to die, boy. You wear red. That is a sentence of death."

Hardly surprising thought Rand, they would not chase him if they did not want to kill him. Rand saw the girl's eyes widen and both she and the boy regarded the men with a frown on their face. They clearly disliked the men but did not want to interfere and put themselves in danger.

Rand regarded the men warily knowing that he should avoid using saidin if he could. He did not want to cause uproar, especially with a good number of Aes Sedai in the city. However, he was prepared to use it if he had to.

Out of the corner of his eye Rand saw another young man; probably a couple of years older than him sneak off. Odd Rand thought. However his musings were quickly ended when one of the men swung his sword at Rand's head.

Rand out of instinct raised his sword and blocked the attack. The other man who had a sword stepped forward, but the man with the bow slipped off unnoticed into the shadows. Everyone was watching the fight and did not pay attention to him.

While the two men were fairly gifted with the sword they were no match for Rand. In a couple of seconds he had the two men unarmed and on the ground, but unhurt. It had been easier than Rand thought not knowing where the man with the bow had run off to.

"Stay down." Rand ordered the two men, who cowered back in fear. He kicked their swords away and turned to face the boy and girl. For the first time Rand took a good look at them.

The boy wore a finely woven coat, which was embroidered, marking him as a noble. He was pretty tall and had reddish hair. He seemed self-assured and studied Rand as though gauging how much of a threat he was.

The girl was about a head shorter than the boy, but was still tall for a girl, and she was clearly closely related to the boy. She was dressed even more prominently than the boy with blue velvet cloak, and a necklace of emeralds hung around her throat. She carried the same self-possession as the boy and looked at Rand even more critically.

When Rand looked beyond the fine clothing he noticed that she had red-gold curls down past her shoulders, a face that was a perfectly shaped oval, with stunningly blue eyes and full red lips, all of which made her by far the most beautiful women or girl he had ever seen.

She even made Moiraine, who was an exceptionally beautiful woman, look ordinary. Ever since he had met Moiraine, Rand had fantasized about her but those fantasies were wiped away with one look at the girl.

He would have to get to know her he vowed, even if she is a noble. He may not be a noble now but he soon would be. He spoke first, "I am sorry to have trespassed in your garden, my lady and my lord. These men have been chasing me and your wall seemed like the only avenue for escape."

The girl's eyes softened and she no longer seemed to be studying him, but rather looking at him as something close to an equal. "That is all right. No doubt the guards will come soon but you will be my guest. Do not feel bad, it was not your fault. What is your name and where are you from?" She asked with interest.

Rand replied, noticing that she did not expect formality, "My name is Rand al'Thor. I am from the Two Rivers, which is in the West of this realm."

Both the boy and the girl looked at Rand with amusement, so Rand asked as politely as he could, "And who are you, my lady?"

Their amusement turned to surprise and Elayne asked with wide eyes, "You do not know?"

Rand had a sinking feeling in his stomach and answered, "No, I do not."

The girl drew herself up proudly and answered, "This is my brother Gawyn," as she pointed at her brother. "My name is Elayne Trakand."

Rand's mouth fell open in shock. She was the Daughter-Heir of Andor. Light! And he had been thinking about her romantically. Also, Gawyn had to be the future First Prince of the Sword. Rand managed to ask Elayne, "You are the Daughter-Heir?"

Elayne nodded regally as the Queen's Guards approached.

* * *

Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter. It was fun to write, especially after Shadar Logoth. Sorry if Rand's escape was lame, but I did not want him to learn how to travel so quickly. Hopefully the brief part on the people of Emond's Field gave you an accurate description of what their lives will be like. They will not be a part of the rest of the story. As the story says, they fade back into obscurity. Please Review and let me know what you think. I will probably do one more chapter on this story before returning to With the Daughter of the Night for a chapter or two. To preview the next chapter, I will say don't forget about the bowman. His actions will lead to a plot twist that may not be unexpected, but may take you by surprise.


	5. Chapter 5 Rand and Elayne

Chapter 5 – Rand and Elayne

Rand, Elayne, and Gawyn all snapped around as they heard the Queen's Guard approaching. The man young man Rand had seen earlier was at the head of the column. Rand heard Elayne whisper to him without turning her head, "Follow my lead and everything will be fine. Keep your cool and your wits about you and do not speak out of turn."

The young man at the head of the column was tall and slender with dark hair and eyes. He seemed to possess the same air of self-possession that Gawyn held and Rand knew he was a capable swordsman by the way he held himself.

"Move away, Elayne." The man seemed to think he could order Elayne around. "You too Gawyn. He is dangerous." The Queen's Guard shuffled uneasily as they watched Rand, Gawyn and Elayne.

Elayne stepped in front of Rand and said, "He is my guest, Galad. He is a loyal Queen's man and is under my protection."

From Elayne naming the man Galad, Rand knew that this must be Elayne and Gawyn's half-brother. They shared the same father and Tigraine Mantear had been his mother. Wait, Tigraine was Rand's mother. That meant that Galad was at least his half-brother. Light!

"Elayne, the man is clearly dangerous and is dressed like a commoner. You have no business with him. He could be here to kill you." Galad's statements angered Rand but he held his tongue.

Elayne, who was clearly upset, which her frown directed at Galad indicated, said "He is my guest Galad. I have seen him fight and know how talented he is with the blade. If he wished to kill me, I would be dead right now so be quiet unless you think you can tell me what to do." Elayne's tone was riddled with scorn but Galad did not flinch, however he did back off.

However, Galad had one more pronouncement up his sleeve. "Your mother has received word of the intruders, Elayne. She has commanded that they are to be brought before her. You are to attend her as well."

Elayne however quickly had a response, "Well take us to her then. Lead the way Galad. He is permitted to go armed as my guest. Now go. Lead the way." Elayne turned towards Rand with some concern in her eyes.

However, at this moment all hell broke loose. The Queen's Guard had turned and had started marching back towards the palace. Gawyn had moved with them, leaving Rand and Elayne all alone at the moment. In was in this moment that the man in the shadows struck. An arrow flew directly at Elayne's heart.

The Guard saw it but could do nothing. Luckily Rand, with his back to the shooter, still held the void. The slight whoosh of the arrow was easily recognizable in the void. Turning quickly Rand saw the arrow was headed directly for Elayne. At the last possible moment Rand whipped out his sword and the arrow clanged off the blade.

The arrow fell to the ground harmlessly. As soon as the arrow hit the ground, the Queen's Guard let out a breath in relief and quickly apprehended the intruder. Gawyn and Galad came rushing towards Rand and Elayne.

Elayne and Rand both stood there in shock. Rand because he could not believe that someone would attack the Daughter-Heir and that he had actually stopped the arrow. Elayne because she could not believe that she had almost died. The silence was broken as Gawyn and Galad reached the pair.

"Elayne, are you all right?" Gawyn asked with a stricken expression. However, Elayne just stood there as white as a ghost. As soon as Rand assured them that Elayne was not hurt, Gawyn told Galad to check on the prisoner and make sure he was available for questioning by Gareth Bryne.

Yet Elayne, still remained silent. Gawyn approached her and tried to give her a hug but she shook him off. Suddenly she regained her color and composure as if nothing had happened. "Rand, walk with me. And don't even think of interrupting, Gawyn." Rand glanced at Gawyn, but he shrugged, so Rand let Elayne lead him away.

As soon as they were out of hearing range but not out of eyesight, Elayne stopped and turned towards Rand. Rand was confused. Why would she want to talk to him without anyone else hearing? However, he did not mind so when she began talking he listened with avid interest.

"Rand, you have saved my life. I can never thank you or repay you enough for what you did." Elayne said with a somber expression.

Embarrassed, Rand ducked his head so Elayne would not see his blush. "Elayne, it was nothing. I just reacted and I am glad you are still here." Once again Rand ducked his head as his cheeks turned red.

With a smile on her face Elayne said, "Rand it was not nothing and you know it. You should be rewarded. I will ask mother to make you a noble if you wish or grant you any boon you may desire. You will at least stay in the palace for the rest of your stay in Caemlyn."

After Elayne's promise Rand picked up some courage. "Elayne, I do not wish your mother do bestow nobility upon me. Can you keep a secret?" When Elayne nodded, Rand continued, "I am already a noble, Elayne, even if I do not look like one."

Hearing this Elayne gasped and proceeded to ask him since he was a noble why he did not immediately come to the palace and act like a noble.

Rand believing he could trust Elayne said, "I said I was Rand al'Thor from the Two Rivers. This is true, but my parents are not from the Two Rivers. Tam al'Thor raised me in the Two Rivers but he is not my true father. To this day I do not know who my true father is. However, I have recently found out the identity of my mother."

Pulling the ring out of his coat pocket, Rand showed it to Elayne, who gasped once she saw the sigil. Quickly she asked, "You are the son of Tigraine, the former Daughter-Heir?"

Nodding his head, Rand told her how his father was killed, the real story, and the revelation that Tigraine was his mother. "I have never met my mother and she is probably dead but now at least I know her identity. So, I am a noble because of her although I was raised as a farmer who was taught the blade."

Elayne seemed to study him at this point. Rand was a little unnerved by her piercing gaze. She drew herself up majestically, and told him "You are a noble Rand. While you were raised in the Two Rivers, you are a Caemlyner. This explains your appearance. You had to be either Aiel or of the Royal Blood, because you do not have the look of a man from the west of the realm."

Rand nodded in understanding. "I thank you for your confidence in me Elayne, but I do not wish everyone to know of this at the moment. I would prefer to tell your mother, the queen, in a private audience instead of in front of the whole guard."

Elayne nodded in understanding. "You will be hailed as a hero. It would be best for mother to not learn of everything at once. We will say that you are the son of Tam al'Thor for now. It is not a lie. Come we should follow the guard they will be suspicious if we take any longer."

To Rand's utter shock Elayne gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek before they went back to everyone else.

* * *

Elayne couldn't believe that she had just kissed Rand on the cheek. What has gotten into me, she wondered. It must be the brush with death. Her mother would have her for looking at Logain, let alone all this other stuff that went on. She thought back to the action that took place…

She and Gawyn had been looking at Logain from the trees, when they saw a disturbance coming up the street. A young man barely older than her was being chased by five men. The young man had climbed the wall as well as three men who were chasing him.

Gawyn had motioned her to silence, not that she was going to speak out anyway. The young man, who had reddish hair and was very tall lead the three men towards the garden. She and Gawyn climbed down and surveyed the scene. The boy had stopped before the garden and had turned to face the men. She saw him catch sight of her and Gawyn, but she was too far away to get a good look at his face.

The men proceeded to tell the boy that he was going to be killed because he wore red. That meant the boy was a loyal Queen's man. Those others must be the people who supported the whitecloaks and were against Elaida. Why would they kill a boy just because he wore the red?

She was sorry for the young man. He couldn't be that much older than her. He was going to be killed for no good reason. There was no chance that he could survive against two older and more experienced swordsman as well as a bowman.

Elayne was shocked when he easily defeated the two swordsmen. The bowman had just disappeared. How was he that good with the blade, being so young? Her thoughts were interrupted as the boy turned to face them. Unconsciously, both she and Gawyn had moved forward after the boy defeated the two men.

She barely held in a gasp as she looked at the boy. He was either Aiel or the son of a noble house here in Andor. However, she did not know of any young nobles that she had not met. Anyways, he was dressed as a commoner and looked like he had been travelling for several days.

Surprisingly, he held himself with his head held high and seemed to have a confidence of someone who has had experiences beyond their years. He did not appear to be stuffed up or arrogant, but she had yet to get to know him.

As she gazed beyond the outward appearance, Elayne noticed the boy himself. He appeared to be one or two years older than her and was very tall. He had reddish hair as well as grey eyes, which were not very common. He had strong, wide shoulders that accentuated his strong build. Overall he was the most handsome man she had ever seen.

She fought back a blush as fantasies ran threw her head. She could see him picking her up and holding her. Elayne could almost feel his arms around her as they cuddled each other. She imagined kissing him and taking him into her private chambers.

Light! Why did this boy have such an effect on her? She should not be thinking of a commoner this way. The Daughter-Heir could not pick up anyone off the street even if he was supremely handsome. Little did she know similar thoughts were flicking through his head.

The boy apologized for trespassing and explained how the men had been chasing him. She told him that it was no harm done and asked for his name. He gave it. Rand al'Thor, an ordinary name and one she did not recognize.

Suddenly he asked who she was, catching Elayne by surprise. Surely he knew who she was. Although he did say he was from the very west of the realm. Elayne felt her eyes go wide as she asked, "You do not know?"

When he replied that he did not know, Elayne proudly introduced her brother and said, "My name is Elayne Trakand." She saw Rand's mouth drop open in shock. He clearly knew who her name and had to know she was the Daughter-Heir.

This was confirmed when he stumbled out, "You are the Daughter-Heir?" Elayne nodded but the boy, Rand, did not look at her any differently. Odd. Most people immediately got down on their knees when they saw her. This was good. The boy clearly respected her but not overly.

Suddenly the Queen's Guard approached led by Galad. Elayne whispered to Rand to keep his cool, and to follow her lead. He said nothing, but she knew that he understood. Galad told both her and Gawyn to move away from Rand. According to Galad he was dangerous. Elayne almost laughed out loud. Dangerous, yes, but a danger to her, no. Plus, the ire of Galad to think he could boss her around. She would let him have it.

Elayne stepped in front of Rand and proclaimed to Galad that he was her guest and was under her protection. Galad scoffed and told her that Rand may be here to kill her. Feeling her anger rising to the surface, Elayne frowned and told Galad once again that Rand was her guest and that if he wanted to kill her he would have done so already. Her voice was full of sarcasm and she was sure everyone noticed. The gall of the man to try to boss her around.

But Galad had something up his sleeve and told Elayne that she as well as Rand, was summoned to her mother. Now it would get interesting. However Elayne was not worried and said, "Lead the way Galad." Quickly Elayne turned to Rand to whisper him more instructions when he suddenly unsheathed his blade and whipped it through the air in front of her.

She heard something clang off of Rand's sword and she noticed an arrow fall to the ground. Someone had tried to kill her and Rand saved her. How did he do that? He had to have perfect timing and he could probably barely see the arrow. Light! She had almost died. The more she thought about it, the more she trembled.

Elayne could feel the color leave her face. No doubt she was as white as snow by now. Elaida told her she would be a powerful Aes Sedai one day, but she could not protect herself now. She would have to keep Rand around and see where things went. Both Galad and Gawyn had rushed up to see if she was alright.

She heard Gawyn say something, but she didn't respond thinking of where she would be without Rand. She would speak to him alone and without him knowing, she would make him her bodyguard. Now, Rand was telling Gawyn that she was fine. Seeing she was alright, Galad had rushed off to check on the prisoner. No doubt the prisoner would end up before Gareth for questioning.

Gawyn tried to give her a hug but she shook it off. She turned her gaze to Rand and said, "Rand, walk with me. And don't even think of interrupting, Gawyn." She saw Rand throw a look at Gawyn but she steered Rand off out of earshot but within eyesight, so the guard would not become suspicious.

Elayne turned to face Rand and noticed that he looked confused, but pleased. Her face turned somber as she said, "Rand, you have saved my life. I can never thank you or repay you enough for what you did." Rand tried to say it was nothing, but he was clearly pleased and he dipped his head, so she couldn't see his cheeks turn bright red.

She rebuked him with a smile on her face saying, "Rand it was not nothing and you know it. You should be rewarded. I will ask mother to make you a noble if you wish or grant you any boon you may desire. You will at least stay in the palace for the rest of your stay in Caemlyn."

For some reason this seemed to give the young man across from her inner strength and he told her he did not wish to have nobility bestowed upon him. He asked if she could keep a secret, to which she nodded in response, intrigued. He then proceeded to tell her that he was already a noble, which caused a gasp to slip out of her.

Rand then told her about his father and how he died. She felt sorry for him, but when he said he had found the identity of his mother and pulled out a signet ring, she could not have been more shocked. She easily recognized the sigil. It belonged to Tigraine Mantear, the former Daughter-Heir. Her disappearance had allowed Elayne's mother to take the throne.

She once again gasped and blurted out, "You are the son of Tigraine, the former Daughter-Heir?" He nodded and Elayne appeared to be studying him, but she was really thinking.

If he was the son of Tigraine then he was a noble and a marriage with him would be looked upon favorably provided his story was true, which she could find no holes in. The fantasies once again sprung to the front of her mind and she inwardly grinned.

Rand appeared to be waiting for her to say something so she said, "You are a noble Rand. While you were raised in the Two Rivers, you are a Caemlyner. This explains your appearance. You had to be either Aiel or of the Royal Blood, because you do not have the look of a man from the west of the realm."

It was true; he did not have the look of a man from the west of the realm. He was either Aiel or of the Royal Blood and now his story confirmed that he was of the Royal Blood. As she stood pondering the importance of blood, Rand thanked her and asked her to tell her mother at a later time.

This surprised Elayne, but not greatly. She agreed and said that they should move back to the guard. Then she impulsively hugged him and kissed his cheek. What made her do that? Did this boy really have that much control over her?

Elayne decided should would discover the mysteries of this boy later. Assuming the meeting with her mother went well, she would have time, lots of time to figure out Rand al'Thor.

* * *

Rand could still feel the spot where Elayne had kissed him. Inwardly grinning, he schooled his features as they walked back to the guards. Assuming the meeting with the Queen went well he would have time to get to know Elayne, because right now he had all the time in the world.

Sorry for the delay for this chapter. While there is not a lot of new content in this chapter, I felt in was important to establsh Elayne's character and point of view. The near shooting is an important event that will trigger other events therefore I felt I should include Elayne's point of view of the whole incident. Elayne is a major character and a good portion of the story will be told from her point of view. In the next chapter Rand meets Morgase and Elaida and Moiraine will come back into the story.


	6. Chapter 6 The First Meeting

Chapter 6 – The First Meeting

Rand walked side by side with Elayne as the Queen's Guard led them into the palace. The palace was something out of a storybook as far as Rand was concerned. He had never seen any such display of wealth. The vast halls were adorned with gold and all with an Andoran theme. The white lion was a prominent symbol as was a golden lily.

Elayne told him little tidbits about the palace as the walked. He was surprised however when she said the golden lily was her symbol. Min had told him that she saw a golden lily in his aura. It had to mean that Elayne was important to him in some way.

Rand was slightly nervous about meeting the Queen. Having saved Elayne's life would help him on that front. He was more concerned about meeting Elaida. She was of the Red Ajah and would try to gentle him if she found out that he could channel. Moiraine clearly had a dislike of Elaida and had said that she wished to lessen Elaida's influence over the Queen. Hopefully Elayne was more influential than Elaida.

Finally, the long journey came to an end as they reached the Throne Room. The Guards announced their presence and ushered them inside. Elayne simultaneously curtsied and bowed at the waist and held her position. Rand noticed the Guards drop into bows and thought that if Elayne hadn't told him what to do he would have been in trouble.

Just as Elayne had told him to Rand dropped to one knee, bowed his head, placed his right hand on the tiles, and held his left hand on his sword pommel. Apparently this meant that he stood ready for the Queen's commands. He noticed the leader of the Guards, a man named Tallanvor shooting him a filthy look.

Apparently Tallanvor did not approve of 'the intruder under guard' bowing before the Queen. The man must think he should be put in chains. Rand wondered if the man wore red or white, but no cloth resided on the man's sword. Two huge tapestries hung upon the walls with one of them showing the White Lion of Andor, larger than life, but it was not the tapestry that held Rand's attention.

In between the two enormous draperies sat a dais, which a carved and gilded throne rested on. On this magnificent throne sat the Queen. Rand immediately noticed her resemblance to Elayne. The Queen was beautiful in a totally different way even though the two were so much akin. While Elayne was stunningly beautiful, Morgase's beauty came out majestically, making her appear like the powerful figure that she was.

Elayne had inherited a good number of her mother's features Rand noticed as he made sure not to stare at the Queen. While others may have been intimated by the Queen's presence Rand held the void and was impassive despite her majestic appearance. Rand however was searching for who else was in the room.

The first person his gaze fell upon a man to the Queen's right, who looked war hardened and steady. That had to be Gareth Bryne, the Captain-General. To the Queen's left was a woman in green silk sitting on a low stool, but scanning the crowd that had entered. Needles and wool lay to her side, making her seem older than she actually was. Rand immediately recognized the ageless face of the woman he had been looking for.

Rand knew that the woman must be Elaida, the Aes Sedai he had worried about meeting. Her gaze landed on Rand and she gave him a scornful look mixed with anger, hatred, inquisitiveness, and distrust. Quickly her face became impassive once more making Rand wonder if he had seen those emotions cross her face or if he had just imagine them in the wake of the first sighting.

The Queen studied the group and said with an air of command even greater than Elayne's or Moiraine's, "Rise." Without any hesitation Rand stood and he noticed Elayne do the same. The guards rose, but slowly and backed away from the Queen.

Morgase looked over to the guards and told them to leave. Even Tallanvor nearly rushed out of the room. Apparently they thought that the Queen was not pleased with them. If the situation wasn't so serious, Rand would have laughed at the actions of the guards.

Elayne, whom seemed slightly nervous despite her previous assurances, spoke first. "Mother..." she began but was cut off by the Queen.

"You have been climbing trees, it seems, daughter." Elayne looked down at her dress and noticed a couple pieces of bark, but left them their almost to show defiance. "It would seem daughter, that despite my orders, you went to get a look at Logain." At this point Morgase turned her attention to her son.

"Gawyn, I thought better of you. While you must obey your sister, you have to keep her from such foolishness." After taking a quick look at Gareth Bryne, the Queen continued. "Leading the armies of Andor is not your only duty Gawyn. The First Prince must advise the Queen just as much as lead the armies. You must not let Elayne lead you astray. I would have your training intensified, if the journey north occurs, but I am not so sure you will be going north anymore."

With that pronouncement Elaida's eyes widened and she was about to protest but the Queen continued, "You will have nothing to say in this matter Elaida. It is my decision if Elayne and Gawyn are to go to Tar Valon or not. Do you understand, Gawyn, the nature of your duties?"

Gawyn bowed his headed and nodded his acceptance; however Elayne did not seem pleased. She said, "Mother, Gawyn cannot protect me if he is not with me. For that reason alone he accompanied me. Anyways, what is the harm in looking at Logain?"

The Queen's eyes narrowed as she spoke to her daughter, "This Logain fellow is very dangerous, daughter. Even caged, with Aes Sedai surrounding him he is dangerous. He should have never been brought to the city, no matter what Elaida says." Elaida, who had been on the verge of speaking, moved back into the shadows.

Morgase appeared ready to move on and turn to Rand, but Elayne spoke. Rand was surprised, since he had thought that Elayne had barely avoided a tongue lashing as it was. "Mother, you tell me I must know our people, but how can I with people surrounding me?"

Elayne continued, "Today I have learned more about the people Two Rivers than all the books have taught me." At this point Rand tried to stop Elayne as she glanced at him with a head shake, but Elayne plowed on. "It says a lot that this young man, comes in from a great distance, and puts on the red, despite the fear that leads visitors to put on the white. Mother, today I met a loyal subject who I never would have met otherwise."

Elayne glanced at Rand but her winning smile, fell when she noticed his facial expression. Morgase spoke up with a sad expression on her face. "A loyal subject from the Two Rivers, you say daughter. If you read your books more closely, then you would know that the Two Rivers has not seen a tax collector in six generations nor the Queen's Guard in seven." At this point the Queen noticed Rand's nods and spoke to him.

"Young man, before you came to Caemlyn did you know that you lived on land ruled by Andor?"

Rand gave a small smile and said, "I did. However, my father was a soldier in the Aiel Wars and gave me many books to read. However, other than my father and me, I doubt that anyone other than the mayor knows that they live in the realm of Andor."

Morgase was about to say something to Elayne, but Elaida moved out of the shadows and spoke up. "You say you're from the Two Rivers?" When Rand nodded Elaida shook her head and continued, "With that red in your hair and your gray eyes? Two Rivers people have dark hair and eyes and seldom have your height. They also have darker skin."

Rand noticed Elayne give him a worried look, but he knew he could talk his way out of this. "That is true, Elaida Sedai, but I am from the Two Rivers. I look very different from most of the people in the Two Rivers, but that does not mean I am not from the Two Rivers. I have lived my whole life in the Two Rivers. Does my voice not sound like I am from the Two Rivers?"

Elaida had seemed slightly taken aback that Rand knew her name and calmly answered her, so she turned to the Queen for her reaction. "Elaida this boy has the Two Rivers on his tongue. I have the advantage of having heard their speech." She turned to Elayne, the issue forgotten. "Now tell me what happened in the garden, daughter. I have been informed that there was fighting but I do not know the details. Tell me."

Needing no prodding, Elayne launched her tale. She started with her and Gawyn sitting in the tree watching Logain, before noticing a disturbance in the street. She then spoke of Rand and the whites climbing over the walls before the whites made their pronouncements. In amazing detail, Elayne spoke of Rand's triumph and of their meeting with Galad and the guards. At this point Elayne's voice took on a somber note as she spoke of how Rand had saved her life. "That is all, mother. The guards led us here after that."

Morgase turned to Gawyn, who nodded as if confirming Elayne's story. The Queen then turned to Rand and said, "Young man, you have my gratitude for saving my daughter's life. While you should not have been in the gardens at all, this will be forgiven for saving Elayne. Now I wish to hear your side of the story."

Rand quickly narrated how he was in the streets looking at Logain, when the mob attacked him. He related the rest of the story to the Queen and finished with, "I am sorry for intruding. I had no idea that the wall protected the Palace's gardens. It was the only option I saw at the time to get away from the whites with my life."

The queen nodded and turned to Gareth Bryne for his opinion. The man, who clearly had thought the issue through, spoke. "For coming into the gardens I would normally say to lock the boy up for a couple of days, but this case is completely different. The boy was forced into the gardens and protected Elayne when her life was in danger. I would say that the young man is no threat to harm you or your family, your majesty."

Elaida however wanted a say in the matter as well. "I think you are wrong Gareth. This boy is clearly a danger." At this point she walked up to Rand and grasped his sword. She quickly grasped it and pulled it out. "A shepherd who carries a heron marked blade. The red may be more of a covering than anything else. A clever way to conceal his sword and a way to get inside the palace."

She continued, "Very convenient. How did you come by this blade and when did you come to Caemlyn?" Elaida demanded.

Rand, remaining expressionless answered. "I was given this blade by my father when I defeated him in a duel. He won this sword during his time with the Illian army, when he became a blademaster. Now I am a blademaster, even if it is unofficial. And I arrived in Caemlyn yesterday."

Elaida pounced on this last statement. "So you arrive yesterday, quickly put on the red and end up in the Palace Gardens. This is not by chance."

At this point Morgase spoke up. "What are you naming him, Elaida, a darkfriend?" Morgase looked doubtful, but added, "Are you having a foretelling?"

At this Elaida seemed to draw herself up. "This boy comes the day the unbeliever enters the city, carrying a heron marked blade, without an armband to declare his allegiance and ends up in the Palace Gardens with a story to convince the Daughter-Heir. This man is dangerous." Elayne opened her mouth furiously, but Elaida continued.

"_This I foretell and swear under the light that I can speak no clearer. From this day Andor marches toward pain and division. The shadow has yet to darken to its blackest, and I cannot see if the light will come after. Where the world has wept one tear, it will weep thousands. This I Foretell"_ (Eye of The World p.614)

The room had gone deathly silent, but Elaida was not done. She spoke in an even louder voice so that no one had any doubt as to what she was saying. "This too, I Foretell. Pain and division come to the whole world, and this man stands at the heart of it. I obey the queen and speak it clearly."

The whole room had once more gone silent, but Rand showed the least amount of surprise on his face. He was a male channeler after all, son of a former Daughter-Heir who disappeared, had the Forsaken chasing him, and was possibly the Dragon Reborn. Of course he would be the center of battles, he just didn't want everyone to know it.

However, Morgase had something to say. "Of course the shadow darkens, Elaida. There have been more false Dragons these last couple years than in decades. While I do not know about this young man being at the center of everything, your accusations are unfounded. Of course he is a blademaster. He defeated two swordsmen at once and stopped an arrow during its flight. If he was a danger to us he would have let the arrow strike Elayne. Now what do you have to say about this," she asked Rand.

Rand quickly responded. "I mean no harm to you or yours, my queen. I am not a darkfriend and am not in the city by chance. Some friends and I were travelling to Caemlyn, but we were separated on the way." At this point Rand chanced a look at Elaida and saw her frown; knowing what he said next would make her even angrier.

"I believe you know my companions, because I believe one of them had actually planned on contacting you. Moiraine Damodred of the Blue Ajah and her warder, Lan were coming to Caemlyn with me. However, we were separated when we passed Baerlon."

At this point, Morgase nodded and said, "Yes, Moiraine sent me a dove informing me that she was on her way to Caemlyn and of her desire to speak with me. She mentioned she was bringing a young man with her. It is obvious you are telling the truth, Moiraine is very secretive and would not let anyone know of her plans."

A frustrated Elaida spoke up. "What business does that woman have in the palace? She is a menace. You should not speak with her. All she does is manipulate to her advantage. She will destroy Andor if it suits her purposes."

Rand knew Elaida had crossed the line now and was in trouble. Rand raised an eyebrow in amusement as the Queen's face contorted with fury. "Moiraine is Elayne's aunt, Elaida. That is enough from you today. Leave now. I will speak with you later."

Elaida stormed out of the room, all of her peaceful serenity gone as her face had become demented with anger. Now it was just the Queen, Gareth Bryne, Gawyn, Elayne and Rand in the room.

* * *

Moiraine sat on her horse and looked over the plain. There had been no signs of the boy ever since that night at Shadar Logoth. As a ta'veren the boy should leave easily traceable signs but he had left nothing.

However, the boy was extremely intelligent. Rand had probably gone cross country for most of the trip to avoid villages. Moiraine was not overly worried. She just wondered what she would find in Caemlyn. Would she have to break Elaida's control over the Queen, or was it already disintegrating? Where in the city would she find the boy?

Despite the vastness of Caemlyn, Moiraine knew that she would be able to find the boy easily. As a ta'veren he would leave a trail in the city. That was unavoidable in such a large city. Plus after spending a good week with the boy she could sense his presence from a little ways off.

At Baerlon, she had sent a dove to Morgase informing her of their imminent arrival. While the trip had taken longer than she expected, the palace would welcome her. She just had to find the boy first. Ta'veren or not there was no way the boy could get into the palace and meet Morgase on his own. She would have to stage a meeting between Rand and Morgase.

Little did she know that meeting was already taking place. The trip had been smooth, as expected. Any trouble would chase the boy, not her and Lan. After a couple days they had reached Whitebridge to find the city in an uproar.

It was not Rand's doing, but the city was ready to explode. A whole ship crew that came down the river had claimed that their boat was attacked by trollocs. However, that boat was headed to Illian and was of little concern to Moiraine. The news of Logain's capture was much more troubling.

While it was good that he had been caught he was to be marched through Caemlyn. According to Moiraine's reckoning Logain was being or had been marched through Caemlyn today, since it was five days since Whitebridge. The one thing she did not want to happen was for Rand to encounter the False Dragon. It would only breed trouble. If she only knew how right she was.

She had just passed the village of Four Kings and her and Lan would reach Caemlyn in two days. Moiraine was ready. The only difficult thing she had to do was get the boy in the palace. How wrong she was.

* * *

A good part of this chapter is based on the first meeting Rand had with Morgase in the Eye of the World. I tried to take few direct quotes and change some parts due to the different circumstances. While Elaida whispers part of her foretelling in the book, she speaks the whole foretelling clearly in this story. I hope you appreciated the differences and similarities between the two meetings. While mine is no where near as good as the late Robert Jordan's I hope you liked the meeting. Review and tell me what you think.

For those of you who wondered what the pairings would be, this fic will be strictly Rand/Elayne. I tried to make this clear in Rand's conversation with Min. Thank you for your reviews. They give me inspiration to write a chapter faster.

The delay was do to my working on my other fic, _With the Daughter of the Night_. This fic is my main focus, but I will continue to work on the other story. In the next chapter a totally new meeting will take place between Rand and the queen.


	7. Chapter 7 More Meetings

Chapter 7 – More Meetings

Rand watched, satisfied, as Elaida stormed out of the room. He had successfully caused her to lose her cool and be dismissed from the room. Elaida would no longer be seen as a top advisor. He had seen to that. Now it was just himself, Elayne, Gawyn, Gareth Bryne, and Morgase in the room.

At this point, Morgase spoke up and said, "Gareth, Gawyn, leave us. I wish to speak to my daughter and her savior alone." Rand watched as Gawyn and Gareth exited through a side door, leaving him alone with Elayne and the Queen.

As soon as they left, Morgase asked Rand, "Now what is your name, young man? We never reached that point in our discussion earlier."

Rand quickly responded, "My name is Rand al'Thor. Like I said earlier, I come from the Two Rivers. My father and I lived on the outskirts of the village of Emond's Field, where we had a farm. The farm had been my life until a couple of weeks ago." Rand stopped speaking as he thought about the death of his father.

"Rand you have my gratitude for saving Elayne's life." Morgase stated. "Until Moiraine arrives you can stay in the palace. I am sure Elayne will have no objections. She will show you around and be your guide for the time being as a reward." Elayne blushed as her mother appointed her Rand's guide.

With a small smile, Rand continued listening, as Morgase said, "Is there any other boon you would ask for in its place?" Rand shook his head in response.

"You have been most gracious to me. There can be no greater gift than having the service of Elayne as my guide." Once again, Elayne's face matched the color of her hair. "I will have to go pick up my belongings from the inn I was staying in. If I asked for one thing, I would ask that you room an ogier that I met in this inn. He wished to travel with me, and I think he should meet Moiraine."

Rand continued, hoping the Queen would understand. "He is persecuted in the city. The people give him strange looks and mistake him for a trolloc. The inn's library has been the only place he has been able to stay in peace. So, I ask that you allow him a room here in the palace as well. Ogier are bastions of knowledge, this one can even sing to trees, and all ogier are great with stone."

Morgase seemed to ponder this for a moment and then quickly responded, "That is fine. I am impressed. You ask for a service for someone who I perceive as a friend of yours instead of riches, boons, or nobility. This is a true sign of your good intentions Rand al'Thor, even if your actions did not speak for themselves."

For a moment Morgase looked at her daughter and then said, "Go. Elayne will show you the way to the main gate. I expect you back by nightfall or a search party will be sent out. Elayne you will report back here after Rand has left. And call Gareth in for a minute, Elayne. If I know Gareth, he is probably standing outside the door waiting. Goodbye for now, Rand al'Thor."

With a nod of his head for acknowledgment, Rand allowed Elayne to lead him out of the room. As Morgase had said they found Gareth Bryne standing outside the door. He had obviously been there in case Morgase was in need of him or if Rand turned out to have malicious intentions. When Elayne told him that her mother wished to speak with him, he thanked Elayne and quickly slipped into the room, closing the door behind him.

Elayne lead Rand through the many halls of the palace to the gate. On the journey they had talked about inconsequential stuff, just getting to know each other better. After about five minutes they reached the front gates. Elayne pulled Rand over where the guards could not hear them.

"Rand, thank you again for saving me. I can never repay you. You were incredible in taking Elaida on. Mother seemed to like you a great deal. It was a good thing I didn't tell her I thought you are cute, otherwise she may not have liked you so much." Elayne was not blushing; she had regained her self-assured, confident air. Her eyes seemed to bore into Rand, showing her sincerity and her mischievousness with the last comment.

Rand in turn, said, "Elayne, you need not thank me for saving your life. I would do it again without thinking twice." Rand's eyes gained the same sparkle as Elayne's. "As for telling your mother, I do not think it would have been a good idea for me to tell her that I thought her daughter was beautiful, she may have locked me in chains."

It was meant to be teasing, but a spark seemed to pass between them. Rand knew he shouldn't get close to anyone since he was able to channel, but he just connected with Elayne. An understanding seemed to pass between them and they bid each other farewell. Rand was looking forward to getting back to the palace, for the sole reason of seeing Elayne again.

* * *

Elayne walked back to the center of the palace for the meeting with her mother. Her thoughts however were not on the upcoming meeting. No, they were on one person. Rand al'Thor. A remarkable young man. He had saved her life, which was worthy of recognition, but that was not what brought Elayne's thoughts to him.

No, it was not his talents with the sword that was most remarkable. He was the son of the former Daughter-Heir, Tigraine. He was a high noble, and was about sixth in line to the throne, if men were able to take it. While this was important and Elayne thought that a relationship with him would not be frowned upon once his heritage was revealed, it also was not what kept Elayne's focus on the young man.

It was the way the two just seemed to connect. After his saving her life, she expected a very awkward situation, especially when a reward was offered, but it turned out the exact opposite of what she expected. They seemed to talk to each other and trust each other like they were old friends. Rand had told her of his heritage when he had no reason to and she without hesitation had believed him and agreed to keep the secret.

Normally, she would doubt what any stranger said, and dismiss it as an attempt to impress the Daughter-Heir. But with Rand, she couldn't help trusting him, especially after he confided in her. He wasn't afraid of her or intimidated by her, which was good. He was able to speak for himself and had a confident air about him.

As soon as she had laid eyes on him in the garden, she had fantasies about him romantically. He was extremely good looking. Even Galad, who despite her dislike of him, was extremely good looking, but in her eyes he had nothing on Rand. The more she got to know Rand the more she liked him.

He had handled a tough situation with Elaida with ease and had even impressed Gareth Bryne and her mother. That was not common at all. Gareth and her mother were rarely impressed. Plus he was traveling with her aunt, an Aes Sedai. Elayne knew her aunt. She was cold, even heartless, and trusted no one except her warder. It was a testament to Rand that Moiraine had allowed him to travel with her and was planning to take him to meet her mother.

However, that could mean Rand could be important to the world in some way. Her aunt meddled in world affairs, and introducing the son of Tigraine seemed mild for Moiraine. Even Elaida, in a dark fashion had said so. Elaida did not lie about her foretelling, she was bound by the three oaths, Elayne knew. She could speak half-truths but everything Elaida had said had been very clear. Obviously she had a true foretelling, but what was Rand at the center of?

Rand had said that trollocs had attacked him, but why would trollocs attack him in the first place? From what Rand had said he was just a simple farmer, with a father who had taught him to be a blademaster before the trollocs attacked. He also claimed that he spoke with and killed a fade, but why would a fade wish to talk with him in the first place?

Elayne could see how Rand would have killed the fade; his skills with the sword were amazing. He was a true blademaster. However, what had caused him to become separated from Moiraine? It must have been another attack, because Moiraine could channel and any small disturbance would not have caused them to separate. No, it must have been something major. She would question Rand about it tonight.

While all of these thoughts had been tumbling through Elayne's head, she had arrived back at the throne room. The guard posted at the door announced her arrival and Elayne entered the room. Gareth Bryne was sitting next to her mother, their discussion obviously finished. The three of them were alone and Elayne knew that this would not be a formal discussion like earlier.

As soon as Elayne entered, Morgase turned her attention towards her daughter. She told Elayne to have a seat, and Elayne could tell that her mother was concerned. "How are you, Elayne?" Morgase asked.

Elayne responded truthfully. "Fine, I was shaken up at first, but I am alright now. It was just a huge shock. I shudder to think what would have happened if Rand did not get his sword up in time." Elayne shivered slightly, but passed it off as shifting her weight in the chair, by leaning forward.

Elayne observed her mother as she asked, "What did you think of Rand, mother?"

Suddenly, a smile blossomed on Morgase's face. "Oh, I think he was a nice young man. Saving your life helped my opinion of him at the start. He is clearly knowledgeable and a clear thinker. Elaida clearly did not like him and I fear her foretelling about him may be true. Moiraine is interested in him, which could mean anything, but one thing is for sure. He is very important."

Morgase continued, "I was impressed by his temperament. When Elaida tried to anger him, he just picked her arguments apart and made her look foolish. However, I know you ask for a much different reason, Elayne. I can see it in your eyes and the way you look at him. You like Rand al'Thor and ask for my approval."

Now it became clear why Morgase had smiled when Elayne had asked the question. Elayne sat with her mouth open, her cheeks turning red, but quickly regained her composure. How had her mother known? Well at least she seemed to approve. When Rand's true identity is revealed, a relationship would be even more accepted, which her mother seemed to hint at.

"Mother, I will not deny that I am attracted to him, but what do you really think? Rand has told me why he was traveling with Moiraine, and while I cannot tell you it is very important. I do not think he has told me everything, but he will." Elayne looked at her mother with a questioning gaze.

"I have spoken the truth, daughter. He seems like a nice young man. It is your decision, no one, not even me can counsel you in matters of the heart. I could forbid you from seeing him, but I see no reason to do so. As the queen and your mother, I like to have control over everything but you are maturing, Elayne. I just ask that you are cautious and realize that everything is changing. A major cataclysmic event is about to occur. We need to be prepared for it." Morgase's eyes bored into her daughter's willing her to understand.

Elayne seemed to understand perfectly. She now had to ask her mother about going to the White Tower. If she did not go it would break a long tradition of the Daughter-Heir going to the Tower to be trained. Elaida had also informed her that she had the ability to be the strongest Aes Sedai in centuries. However, ever since Tigraine's disappearance, relations between Andor and the White Tower had been strained. Elaida's recent outbursts had no doubt increased her mother's wariness of the Tower.

She spoke her thoughts to her mother. "Mother, do you plan on having me go to the White Tower? If I am to go I need to leave soon. Elaida has said that I have the power and she cannot lie. Without training I could die from not knowing how to use saidar properly. I do not want to go to Tar Valon, but I see no alternative."

Elayne paused for a second, seeing if her mother would speak. When Morgase remained silent, Elayne continued, "Elaida would not teach me on her own and she would prevent any other Aes Sedai from becoming a private tutor. The only other solution I can think of would be to strip Elaida as her role of advisor and talk to Moiraine when she arrives, but that seems extreme. What say you, mother?"

Her mother sneaked a glance at Gareth Bryne, who remained silent on the side just observing the pair. They had obviously discussed this while she was escorting Rand to the gate. No one spoke for several moments, all of them pondering the consequences of each decision.

Finally Morgase spoke up, "This is not an easy decision, Elayne. I think you realize the ramifications of either decision. By sending you to the White Tower, the people may revolt if earlier today was any indication. However, if we send Elaida away and you do not go to Tar Valon, a longstanding tradition will be broken. While this may appease the people of Caemlyn, we would make powerful enemies in the Tower."

Morgase gave her daughter a piercing look, which Elayne seemed unaffected by. Elayne held her breath as her mother spoke, as she really hoped to stay with Rand and find out more about him. Elayne listened carefully as her mother continued, "I have made all of your decisions up to this point, Elayne, but I feel it is time for you to take more responsibility. The decision is up to you, as Gareth and I feel either decision will have equal consequences."

Elayne's eyes twinkled as her mother said this. She was happy. Now she wouldn't be a slave in the tower as Elaida told her she would be and she would be able to see more of Rand. As she opened her mouth to inform her mother of her decision, Morgase spoke up. "Do not take this decision lightly Elayne, it will change the course of your life. While you must choose what you feel is best, do not make a spontaneous decision.

However, Elayne was not deterred. She had made her decision and would stick to it. "Mother, I have made my decision. I have thought of little else for several days." While she had not thought of it today due to her thoughts being on Rand, she did not need to tell her mother that. "I do not wish to go to Tar Valon. If the stories you and Elaida tell are true, then it sounds like a horrid place."

Elayne thought about the stories about whipping, for little reason at all. "My body does not need to be tortured. The people will be happy, which will endear them to me and you, mother. By getting rid of Elaida, our people will unite, and become a stronger nation. I trust Moiraine Sedai to find me a suitable teacher if she cannot teach me herself."

Elayne watched her mother with held breath. Morgase gave a sigh and said, "I wish you would have waited to make a decision Elayne, and I hope your desire to see a certain boy has not influenced your decision. Very well, I will inform Elaida of our decision. You may go."

Bursting with happiness, Elayne calmly exited the room and walked to her own room. Upon reaching it she let out a muffled squeal. As soon as she laid upon her bed, Elayne imagined what she could do with Rand on it, but pushed those thoughts away as she planned a way to confront him.

* * *

After about a fifteen minute walk, Rand had arrived outside of the Queen's Blessing. Luckily, the streets had been fairly quiet and he had not encountered any groups of murderous whites. It was ironic Rand thought, that he would be a target of the whites, when they both shared a strong dislike of Elaida.

He mused that things could change pretty quickly, if Elaida was stripped of her title as he thought she might be. Maybe there would be riots, maybe peace with a united people, or maybe things would just stay the same. The street was quiet but he wasted no time entering the Queen's Blessing, just in case some whites came along.

He greeted Master Gill, who in turn greeted Rand warmly. He was a nice fellow, Rand mused and he wished there were more people like Basel Gill in the city. Rand knew that when his identity was revealed the inn would gain popularity due to his staying there. The innkeeper would rise in popularity and fortune, and he couldn't think of a better man he had met on his travels for it to happen to.

Making his way up the stairs, Rand headed to the library thinking that it was the most likely place for Loial to be. Sure enough, when Rand opened the door, he found Loial sitting in one of the armchairs reading a book. Nothing unusual, Rand thought. Nothing separated Loial from his books. Undoubtedly they would come to the palace with Loial as he owned quite a few having bought several throughout his travels and even more from Master Gill.

He made his way over to Loial, who looked up when he heard Rand approaching. "Good afternoon, Rand. How did your venture go?" With that Rand spun his tale, carefully watching Loial for his reaction. As Rand proceeded in the story, Loial's eyes grew wider and when Rand finished, he spoke.

"Ta'veren," he said in an almost reverential whisper. "Rand you shift the lives of people around you. There is no doubt, you are ta'veren." Rand nodded his head in acknowledgment. "If I didn't know that you are a good person and not one to lie, I would have doubted your story. I had suspected it after you told me of your trip here, but now I have no doubt. You are ta'veren."

Rand nodded again, as he knew the ogier's instincts were probably right. However he did not want to admit it outright as he had not yet told Loial the full story, so he said, "It may be so, Loial. The queen has given me a room in the palace. However, before I left, I asked if you could stay in the palace as well. She has agreed, and if you wish we will leave for the palace right away."

Loial eagerly agreed, expressing a wish to see the palace and to meet a queen. Rand smiled. While he would enjoy spending time with Elayne, and probably Gawyn, it would be nice to have someone else around. Without further discussion, they both packed their things and got ready to leave.

On the way out, Rand thanked Master Gill and told him that he and Loial would be leaving. When he asked where they were headed, Rand told him that they were staying in the palace. Master Gill seemed to take the unexpected news fairly well, and bid them a cheerful goodbye. However, as Rand left he distinctly heard one maid telling another that he was a prince in disguise. Rand chuckled, knowing how true she was as he and Loial began the trek back to the palace.

* * *

Yeah! This chapter has finally been posted. I apoligize for the delay. For those of you wanting action, I promise plenty of it, but the story needs time to set itself up. Without all of the meetings, the characters personalities would not come out and there would be no distinguishable differences from the books. Morgase is softer, Elaida quicker to anger, Elayne more understanding, and Moiraine has more emotions, to name a few differences. I wish to differ my characters personalities from those in the books, because the circumstances are different. These slight changes, will lead the characters to make different desicions than they did in the book, such as Elayne not wanting to go to Tar Valon.

Hopefully the next chapter will be updated a bit faster, but I will make no promises as I prepare to leave for college next week. In the next chapter, as you may have guessed, Elayne confronts Rand and yet another meeting takes place (groan).


	8. Chapter 8 Acceptance

Hello again everybody. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed. I hope no one has given up on this story. I am now successfully transitioned to college life and writing has come back into my schedule. Since, I almost always apologize for the wait, I will spare you the sorry this time. Hopefully, this long chapter makes up for some of the extra wait. This chapter is odd. Sometimes I hate it and sometimes I think I did a great job with it. A warning- some of the characters do not act like themselves in this chapter. It is due to the bottling up and releasing of emotions. Let me know what you think. Don't worry, I'll be back at the end of the page.

* * *

Chapter 8 – Acceptance

Rand and Loial arrived back at the palace after about thirty minutes. Loial walked beside Rand, his ears twitching. The walk through the streets had not been pleasant. Loial had been scorned and several people came close to attacking him after someone shouted out, "Trolloc!" However, the jeers were not only targeted at Loial.

Whites, lining the streets shouted insults and other profanities the whole trip. However, no one went as far to attack them, which Rand was grateful for. He undoubtedly could defeat whoever would attack him, but it would likely set of riots in the streets. Rand could honestly say that it was the longest thirty minutes of his life.

When they arrived at the gate, Rand announced their presence and the guard ushered them in. Out of the corner of his eye, Rand saw Loial taking in his surroundings, the journey seemingly forgotten. The guard led them through the maze of the palace until they finally reached the throne room, where Rand had met with the Queen earlier.

He was hoping to see Elayne in the room, but he was disappointed. Only Gareth Bryne and the Queen were in the room. The queen sat upon the throne and Gareth in a chair beside her. The guard bowed to the Queen, exited the room, and returned to his station. Silence fell upon the room after the door shut.

Rand bowed before the Queen in the same manner as earlier, but Loial gave a slightly different bow. Rand supposed that it must be an Ogier bow, because he had never read about that bow before. However, the queen did not look surprised by the different bow. After all, ogier stone masons occasionally came to Caemlyn.

Rand watched the Queen, as she studied Loial. She gave a slight nod, rose, faced Rand and said, "Rise. It is good to see that you have returned as you said you would. Now who is your friend, here?" She turned back to Loial as she asked the question.

Loial responded in his soft, reassuring voice, "My name is Loial, son of Arent son of Halan of Stedding Shangtai. Thank you for allowing me to stay in the palace. I am sure the palace will allow me the first real peace since I set out from the Stedding."

Morgase nodded her head as if she was accepting Loial's thanks. "Loial, I will have a guard show you your room. If you wish to see Rand, as his room will be far from yours, ask a guard and he will show you to Rand's room. I am sure we will talk again, Loial, son of Arent son of Halan."

The last statement was clearly a dismissal and Loial with a quick goodbye left towards his room. Gareth Bryne followed Loial out after stating that he had to oversee the guards. Rand was alone with the Queen for the first time. Once Gareth left, Morgase's queenly demeanor dimmed, and she seemed more of a normal woman.

Morgase got up off the throne and started pacing. Rand stared, concerned. He had never seen the queen so vulnerable, even if he had only me her today. It was worrying to see her that way. This was obviously not a side she showed to everyone. During the meetings during the day, she had been powerful, majestic, and strong willed.

However, those mannerisms seemed to collapse as soon as Gareth had disappeared. Rand stayed silent, hoping she would speak first. He did not know what would have caused her to appear so fragile. While she was strong on the outside, the queen obviously used this strong exterior to block her worry.

Luckily for Rand, she did speak first. "Rand, I want you to promise me one thing." Her voice cracked, and Rand could tell that she was worried. After a quick assent, the Queen continued. "I want you to take care of Elayne. I know how you to interact and what will eventually occur. I am not blind."

Gaping, Rand looked at the Queen in shock. This was the last thing he expected the Queen to be speaking to him about. He expected that she had somehow discovered his ability to channel or something else disturbing had come up. How did she know what he felt for Elayne anyway? And did that mean Elayne felt the same way? He had thought that she may, especially with the conversation before he left, but how would Morgase know of Elayne's feelings? Rand highly doubted Elayne had told her mother of her feelings for him, if she had any.

However, the queen did not seem to notice Rand's discomfort. She plowed on as if she couldn't stop, once she had finally worked up the nerve to speak. "What you did today, Rand, I will be forever grateful for. Nothing is more precious than Elayne, and you saved her life. When the people hear, you will be hailed as a hero.

"I am worried that she will be attacked again. If you watch over her Rand al'Thor, I give the two of you my blessing. Just keep her safe." As she spoke Morgase's voice rose, until she was speaking forcefully and loudly at the end. The frail countenance she had put forth moments before was gone, replaced by an intimidating mother and queen.

However, as soon as she finished speaking, Morgase seemed to deflate and she was looking strained and vulnerable once more. The speech seemed to pain her, as if she was handing off the position as her daughter's primary protector. It seemed to Rand that Morgase thought that she was losing Elayne.

Rand knew he had to assure Morgase, even if he was making empty promises. "I promise you, my queen, I will do all in my power to protect Elayne from any danger. I will never intentionally hurt her and will do all I can to make sure she is happy. Do not worry, Elayne will be safe and she will always look up to and love her mother, regardless of what the future holds. I cannot speak for Elayne, but from the little I know of her, that she will always care for you despite anything that may come up in the future."

Morgase sat back down, still looking worried, but reassured. "Your words hearten me, Rand al'Thor. I know that you are not telling your whole story, but I will wait for Moiraine to arrive. No doubt you wish to hear her counsel since you were her traveling companion. We are coming on hard, dark times, Rand al'Thor and I believe Elaida when she says you are at the heart of all of the coming troubles."

Rand listened to her, intrigued. Morgase seemed to have endless wisdom; the only weakness Rand sensed that she possessed was her inner softness. A strong willed darkfriend could probably cause trouble in the palace, but he doubted anyone other than the Forsaken would even be able to challenge her willpower. He listened with renewed interest as she continued.

"However while Elaida thinks you are a danger, you will be a champion of the light. While I do not have the foretelling, I can see that you have the ability to be a great leader. You have earned the respect of an ogier, which is no easy feat. The fact that Loial requested to travel with you, and the concern you had for him shows your good heart and intentions. I could not ask for a better companion for my daughter.

"You will do well, Rand al'Thor. Elayne and I have decided that it would be in the best interests of Andor and herself to not attend the White Tower. I will ask Moiraine to teach her. If she accepts, Elayne will likely leave with you, as I doubt Moiraine will be content to stay in one place for long. She will undoubtedly bring you around, and Elayne will accompany you."

Morgase continued, "Elayne needs to learn how to control saidar, as it will kill her if she does not know what she is doing when she is channeling." Rand felt a shiver race up his spine as he thought of his own troubles controlling saidin. He had a better grasp of it now, but he had much to learn. Yes, he of all people knew the importance of having control and understanding of channeling the one power.

However, Morgase did not notice Rand's discomfort and continued speaking. "She will gain practical experience with Moiraine and will be able to see the world and her constituents without them knowing she is the Daughter-Heir. The experience will help her when she takes the throne. Of course Moiraine has to agree, but I am sure she will, with the chance of influencing a potential powerful Aes Sedai. Moiraine will probably have to ask the Amyrlin, but they are great friends, and I think that the Amyrlin will agree to Elayne learning outside the White Tower."

Rand was starting to get lost. Why was the Queen telling him all of this? At breakneck speed, Morgase continued speaking. "Anyway, I am rambling. However, as a loyal subject of Andor, it will be your duty to protect the Daughter-Heir. Do you understand Rand al'Thor? The future of Andor partly rests on your shoulders. If this situation comes to pass, I will speak to Elayne about her recklessness. By then, I am sure that you and Elayne will have come to an understanding and the closeness required as a personal bodyguard will not be an issue."

Rand was surprised at what the Queen was suggesting, but managed to hide his surprise in the void. "Thank you for listening to me Rand. I should not have loaded my troubles on a guest, let alone a distinguished one. Anyway, now you know. I still do not know why my instincts tell me to trust you. I will have a guard escort you to Elayne's cambers. She will show you to your rooms and you will probably wish to discuss the day's events. Now leave me, Rand al'Thor."

With that Rand gave a bow and exited the room. He told the guard of the Queen's request and they set off. Once again Rand was lead through the myriad of hallways, with absolutely no idea where he was going. However, the trip was over after about five minutes, when the guard and Rand arrived outside an elegantly carved door.

The guard knocked and announced Rand's presence. Rand heard a muffled "Come in," and the guard opened the door. The guard left unnoticed. As soon as Rand entered the room, his jaw dropped and he stopped in his tracks. The sight before him was like a picture out of his dreams.

Elayne stood before him, her hair wet, having just taken a bath. Her hair was slightly curled and damp, but it shone like the sun. It seemed thicker and more radiant, the light bringing out the gold in her hair. She wore a tight bathrobe, which clung to her curves, accentuating and highlighting her breasts. While not new, the robe looked as if it had been barely used. Rand supposed that it was slightly small, as he noticed that the robe did not completely hide her cleavage.

Overall, Elayne looked breathtaking, the most beautiful woman that had ever been woven into the pattern in Rand's estimation. Finally looking up at her face, Rand noticed that Elayne had a shy smile on her face. She had obviously caught him staring and seemed pleased. Rand let out a breath he did not know that he was holding; she did not mind him looking, maybe even wore the robe to entice him to look.

After Elayne beckoned him farther in, Rand shut the door and was treated to his first look at Elayne's quarters. The room was enormous, almost as big as the house he had lived in with Tam. However, the room was fairly simple, if elegant. In the center of the room a large bed was surrounded by pictures of the Royal family. Rand saw the Queen, Gawyn, a man who must be Elayne's father, and one other woman.

There was no doubt as to whom the other woman was. Her picture was adorned with a nameplate at the bottom, next to where the artist had signed his name. Tigraine Mantear. Rand's mother. With a quick intake of breath, Rand tried to hide his shock. He had never expected to find a picture of his birth mother.

While Rand stared at the countenance of his mother, Elayne approached him. She reached up and squeezed his shoulder in a comforting manner. Elayne spoke up. "Yes, Rand that is your mother. Ever since I was little this picture has hung in my room. I do not know why it was placed here, however the wheel weaves as the wheel wills."

Rand finally was able to remove his gaze from the picture of Tigraine. Elayne's hand still rested on his right shoulder. Goosebumps had sprung up his arm at her touch. Elayne was looking at him with a look of concern, affection, and something else Rand couldn't place. She was just so beautiful. Light! They shared smiles, before Rand had to look away from her intoxicating blue eyes and ruby red lips. Those lips just made him want to claim them with his. He had to be careful. Who knew how she felt?

Forcing himself to look away, Rand gazed around the rest of the room. Like everything else in the palace, the wealth of the Royal Family was obvious, but Rand liked Elayne's special touches to the room the best. By her bedside sat a vase of golden lilies. Smiling, Rand couldn't think of a better symbol for Elayne.

The walls were a simple gold, without any murals or banners. To the right was a bath chamber, which Rand supposed had also been tailored to Elayne's style. In the center of the room, the bed was the most prominent piece of furniture. There were a few chairs on the left side of the room and a desk, where Rand assumed Elayne kept a lot of her personal stuff. Overall, Rand thought that Elayne had really expressed herself in the simple, yet elegant room.

Elayne led Rand over towards two of the chairs in the corner. Rand sat down, glancing over at Elayne as her cleavage became more exposed when she bent over to sit down. Rand looked away, with a flushed face. When he turned back to Elayne, her face was also flushed, but there could be no denying it this time; she had a smile on her face.

Before an uncomfortable silence could fall on them, Rand spoke up. "I talked to your mother, Elayne. She said that you are not going to go to Tar Valon. Is this true?"

Elayne seemed to study Rand, and he had to suppress a shudder at her calculating look. However, those features quickly disappeared from her face as she responded. "Yes, Rand it is true. This is a huge breach of tradition, but both mother and I think it is necessary. I would be better off without heavy Aes Sedai influence. The people will appreciate this decision and I feel that it is in my best interests to travel with Moiraine."

As she said this, a flush crept up her cheeks, and Rand smirked knowing he was the cause of her discomfort. It comforted Rand that Elayne seemed to have the same intense attraction for him as he had for her. However, Rand knew that under no circumstance could he enter a relationship with Elayne, until she knew all about him, even the channeling.

With this in mind, Rand prepared himself for a difficult conversation with Elayne. As he tried to figure out a way to initiate the conversation, Elayne brought him out of his thoughts and solved his problem. "Rand, I know you did not tell your whole story earlier. Now, you can speak freely without fear of interruption or other ears."

Rand saw that Elayne had a pretty smile on her face. He really didn't want to tear that smile off her face with his news, but he knew he had no choice. However, he would answer her questions first to hopefully soften his revelations. "Elayne, what do you want to know? Your right, I did not tell you everything earlier, but I promise to tell you the whole truth now."

Elayne did not hesitate in her response. "I thank you for your honesty Rand. First I want to know why you are traveling with Moiraine. I know that Moiraine would not be so interested in just the son of Tigraine. Also, why did the trollocs attack you? Why did the Fade want to talk to you and what did it say? I am sorry if I have a lot of questions, but I feel that I deserve the truth after today."

By the time Elayne stopped talking, her face had turned red and she was slightly out of breath. Elayne had obviously been pondering these issues, Rand supposed, as she spoke without taking a breath and seemed nervous. This was a sudden change, because previously Elayne had been so calm and collected. Observing this, Rand paused to collect his thoughts before speaking.

"Elayne, it is not easy for me to talk about my past. However, I will do my best to help you understand my previous actions and how I am today." Rand grimaced, and then continued. "A lot of what I will say will not be pleasant and you may want to run out of the room. The only thing I ask is that you listen to my whole story and do not deliver judgment on me before I have finished."

Elayne nodded indicating her acceptance, and upon seeing this Rand began speaking. "When I was young, Tam's wife, Kari died. At that time I still believed Tam and Kari were my parents. After Kari's death, Tam began teaching me the sword. He is a blademaster and served in the armies of Illian during the wars with Tear and during the Aiel War. He had left the Two Rivers for adventure and some money.

"Here in Caemlyn he met Kari and after the war with Tear, he brought her back to the Two Rivers. However, he still had very little money and when he heard of Illian's involvement in the war with the Aiel, he rejoined the army of Illian as a captain. I had always thought that Kari was pregnant with me, when Tam was in the war, and I was born shortly after his return. Unfortunately that is not the case.

"Apparently after the Aiel retreated from the walls of Tar Valon, Tam was stumbling around in the dark on the slopes of Dragonmount, with corpses littered around him. He heard a newborn's cry in the morning and found that baby next to a dead woman in the snow. Tam decided to pick up the young one and brought him back to the Two River's raising him as his own child. This child is obviously me. The woman who died on Dragonmount after childbirth must be Tigraine, but I do not know why she would be with the Aiel on the battlefield."

At the mention of his birth on the slopes of Dragonmount, Elayne's eyes widened considerably before returning to their normal shape. After he mentioned Tigraine's death, Elayne bowed her head, when she heard of Tigraine's death but quickly looked up as Rand continued. Rand paused before continuing his narrative.

"I am very lucky to know this much. Tam never revealed the identity of my mother before he died because he did not know who she was. However, he gave me a token he found on her, which led to the discovery of her identity by Moiraine. After Kari's death, Tam informed me that I was not his real son. I kept this secret to myself and told no one in the village. It is difficult to think about Tam. He was more than anyone could hope for in a true father. Honestly, I am still not over his death. It was only about two weeks ago."

"Now, I will try to get to your questions. Hopefully this background will be helpful for you to understand my whole life. A couple of months ago, I finally defeated Tam when we sparred, and he gave me his blade after that duel. After gaining the title of blademaster, I continued to practice and for other reasons I became even more proficient. I doubt there are many who can equal my skill with the blade.

Sporting a sad smile, Rand continued. "Then Moiraine arrived in the Two Rivers. The festival of Bel Tine was to be held the following day, and preparations were being made throughout the village. Also, Winternight was that night. Tam and I had traveled into Emond's Field to bring some cider to the innkeeper. The whole village had been stirred up by Moiraine's arrival. A gleeman and a peddler had also come, which was rare for our small village. The village was probably the busiest I have ever seen it.

"When Mat, one of my friends in the village told me a Lady had come, I was understandably skeptical. However, he brought me to meet her. When I saw her, I immediately knew that she was an Aes Sedai. Tam had given me books to read about Aes Sedai, so I knew about their customs. I also met Lan, her warder. I talked with Moiraine and it was obvious she had an interest in me and had probably come to the Two Rivers just to meet me."

That night, Tam and I went home, skipping the festival of Winternight. We were to return in the morning for Bel Tine. However, when we got back, out home was attacked by trollocs. Tam took the front door and I held the back. I managed to defeat about half a fist of trollocs and none had entered through the back door.

Rand shuddered remembering what he was about to say. "When I got back to the front door, Tam was being held by a trolloc. He had defeated most of the trollocs, but one had wounded him and held a dagger to his throat. The trolloc told me that a Halfman wished to speak with me and told me to put my sword down.

"I did so, and after about 30 minutes the Fade walked in. At that point it was the most frightening thing I had ever seen. However, when the Myrddraal spoke I was even more frightened. Then the Fade called me Lews Therin. I was shocked and immediately denounced the Myrddraal. It then asked me to join the Dark One, which I obviously refused and it prepared to attack me.

At this point Rand looked away from Elayne and gazed at his hands while he spoke. "However, the Fade was overconfident, and I had a secret weapon. Right before I defeated Tam and became a blademaster, I was working with the Flame and the Void, which Tam taught me for fighting and archery. When I was in the void, this light engulfed me and ever since then I have been able to channel.

Due to Rand looking at his hands, he did not see Elayne's eyes widen or the determined expression on her face. "Ever since then, I practiced channeling in a controlled fashion, so I would not kill myself. Every time I channel the taint is there, I have to wrestle with saidin and grasp control. From what I understand this is different than saidar, which you immerse yourself in.

"Somehow this weave popped into my head and I channeled. A white bar of fire came out of my hand and the Fade ceased to exist. I have discovered that this weave is known as balefire." Elayne let of a small gasp and Rand glanced quickly at her before looking back at his hands and continuing.

"The trollocs scattered, as they were frightened and a Myrddraal was no longer pushing them. I don't know how to heal, so I began taking Tam to see Moiraine. However, Tam's breathing was shallow and ragged. By a pure stroke of luck, Moiraine and Tam were on their way to my farm. Lan must have sensed the shadowspawn.

"Anyway, I asked Moiraine to heal Tam, but she said he was too far gone. He quickly died but talked to me briefly before he passed away. In his final breaths, Tam gave me two gifts." As he spoke, Rand pulled the two items out of his bag and handed them to Elayne. Rand could tell that Elayne recognized the items. She gave them back to Rand and he put them back in his bag.

After putting the items safely away, Rand continued speaking. "Of course, Moiraine recognized the seal and the ring immediately. Moiraine had already wanted me to come to Caemlyn, so upon learning my heritage we decided to leave immediately.

"We reached Baerlon without trouble. In Baerlon, I met a strange girl named Min. She seemed to see snippets in the pattern. It was odd. She said she could see things around me. However, that is not too important. Sorry Elayne, I am rambling. We left Baerlon the road to Whitebridge, which would eventually take us here.

"However, several fists of trollocs attacked us. Moiraine and I destroyed them all but we were forced into Shadar Logoth because more were coming. Moiraine and I talked there and I came to accept a few things, which I will tell you in a bit. However, our discussion was interrupted when the Fades drove the trollocs into Shadar Logoth.

"Amidst the mashadar and trollocs, I was separated from Moiraine and Lan. However, she said they would meet me here in Caemlyn. I would imagine that they would be here in a few days if not sooner. Just as I was about to escape a man suddenly appeared out of thin air in front of me. He was most likely one of the Forsaken. He and I battled for a little bit, but he was forced to flee from the mashadar.

"I barely escaped the dreaded city. Since then, I traveled here cross country and on the road at night. You know the rest of my story beyond that. There is one more thing I have to tell you, but it is not easy. I still haven't really accepted it." Rand paused in silence. How could he tell Elayne that he was the Dragon Reborn?

Elayne grasped Rand's hands to give him comfort. To his surprise, Rand saw that she was calm and seemed to be accepting what he had said.

She had a comforting smile on her face as she said, "Rand I know this is not easy for you. However, it will be good for you to release this burden. Whatever it is, I will stand by you. Before you ask, yes I heard you can channel and can probably surmise what you are about to say. While it is difficult for me to accept, in the little time since we have met, you have been a good person Rand al'Thor. I do not think that one revelation can change your personality."

Rand took a deep breath. Elayne's words had reassured him. "You are right Elayne." Elayne smiled cheekily at him and told him that she was always right, before Rand continued in a bit more of an optimistic voice. "Elayne, do you remember how the Myrddraal called me Lews Therin," Rand asked. After seeing her nod, Rand came to the end of his narrative.

"To put it simply, I am the Dragon Reborn. Somehow, I remember weaves that only Lews Therin knew, like Arrows of Fire. Both the man who could channel and the Fade called me Lews Therin. Even Moiraine told me I am the Dragon Reborn. I was born on the slopes of Dragonmount in fulfillment of the prophecy. I just don't want to break the world again. As the Dragon, I want to do the light's work, not harm everyone. Sure people are going to be harmed in a battle against the Dark, but breaking the world..."

Rand broke off, finally getting a load off of his mind. Scared he, looked at Elayne to see her eyes hard, but kind. Elayne got up and hugged Rand. "It's okay, Rand. I know you are not a bad person. It scares me that you can channel and are the Dragon Reborn, but I suspected as much. Do not fret, I will tell no one of this. Shhh. It's okay."

As Elayne spoke, Rand felt tears starting to stain his cheeks. They ran down his face, but he made sure that nothing got on Elayne's pristine clothing. He felt Elayne's soft hand rubbing his back. Elayne was even more accepting than he thought she would be. The next morning Rand would not remember the following fifteen minutes very well.

All Rand knew, was that Elayne had continued to comfort him and brought him and his stuff to his room, which happened to be right next to hers. She had then proceeded to give him a kiss on the cheek and helped him into bed. The next morning Rand would be fine and neither he nor Elayne would speak of the episode.

* * *

Elayne lay in her bed thinking of the events that had just occurred. She felt that she had finally received full disclosure, or at least heard what she needed to know. What she didn't expect was Rand breaking down like he did. As far as she knew, it was totally out of character for him. However, she supposed he had earned the chance for some time to rid himself of his issues.

This was probably the first time he truly came to terms with Tam's death. He also had to deal with the shock and dread of being the Dragon Reborn. Overall, this only hardened Elayne's belief in Rand and his morals. It showed that even the Dragon Reborn had feelings. While the end of their meeting did not go quite as planned, Elayne was pleased with the events of the evening. She thought back to earlier in the evening…

Elayne had a hard time deciding what to wear after finishing her bath. Deciding she was in a daring mood, she wore her old, but beautiful and snug bath robe. It was as good as new, but was slightly small due to it actually being three years old. The robe accented her figure and she hoped Rand would notice.

Elayne wore a small smirk as Rand's gaze was glued to her cleavage. He was clearly attracted to her. Her earlier suspicions and hopes were confirmed. Even as she showed him her room, he couldn't tear his gaze away, which both pleased and embarrassed Elayne. Finally they sat down and began to talk.

When Rand asked Elayne what she wanted to know, she was anxious and nervous. She rushed through her questions, hoping her nervousness wasn't too noticeable. Rand had agreed to be completely honest with her, which she appreciated. However, Rand didn't seem to initially be getting to her questions. He was telling an overview of his early life. It frustrated Elayne, but she could tell he was very nervous, so she let him continue with his story.

Eventually he got to the part where the Fade spoke to him. When she heard that the Halfman called him Lews Therin she held in her suspicions. However, when Rand spoke of his channeling, she could not suppress a gasp. Was he the Dragon Reborn? Elaida's foretelling seemed to hint at it. The center of all of the trouble. The Dragon Reborn would certainly be in the middle of everything that were to occur, Elayne supposed.

When Rand spoke of Tam's death in detail this time, she had tears in her eyes but managed to stop them from falling. Then, Rand brought out a ring and what was obviously a royal seal. She recognized the emblem on both of them immediately. They were Tigraine Mantear's. For a passing moment she wished Rand was giving her a ring, but she pushed that thought away for the moment. Now was not the time.

Rand went on to tell her of his travels. She was slightly worried when he mentioned another girl. However, by the way Rand talked he did not seem to have any interest in her. Then he mentioned Shadar Logoth. Elayne knew all about that place, especially since it was in Andor. However, she did not wish to hear more about it.

Elayne was relieved when Rand did not go into details about Shadar Logoth. Then he mentioned that he would tell her later what Moiraine and he talked about. Upon hearing this Elayne's stomach clenched. It seemed Rand wanted to save the worst news for the end. Knowing this was a good idea due to the sensitivity of the issue, Elayne let the matter pass. However, her suspicions were basically confirmed.

Moiraine's involvement; the fade and the darkfriend calling Rand, Lews Therin; his ability to channel; his proficiency at channeling; and now his pushing off of the topic all led to her believing he had to be the Dragon Reborn. That didn't even include the fact that he was born on the slopes of Dragonmount. After telling about Shadar Logoth, Rand had little else to say before he quit for the moment.

Sensing that he needed reassurance, Elayne told him that she would be fine with him, even if her worst fears were proved true. Their subsequent joke brought strength to Elayne's heart as she could see some of Rand's personality shined through. Then came the bombshell. "I am the Dragon Reborn."

Elayne missed Rand's next couple of words. As much as she suspected, to hear it was shocking. The Dragon Reborn! Luckily, she was able to catch the end of Rand's ramblings. It was shocking, disheartening, and depressing, but Rand was still Rand. Elayne wanted to make sure Rand knew that, so she told him.

At that point, Rand was on the verge of breaking down, so she went and hugged him. Rand seemed to appreciate her comfort, but at this point he was pretty much gone, so she led him to his chambers and helped him settle down. As she was leaving Rand's rooms, numerous thoughts ran through Elayne's head.

She had put Rand to sleep. A man she had just met today, she had put to sleep. Intimately. Clearly, they had chemistry, but still. She was on the verge of a relationship with Rand for the light's sake. No, she was on the verge of a romance with the Dragon Reborn. Thanking the light that her mother was not around to see her so flushed, Elayne got ready to go to bed herself.

What a day! First a man had tried to kill her. Then she meets the heir of Tigraine, who is later revealed as the Dragon Reborn, all the while having romantic fantasies of the said hero, heir and Dragon. However, Elayne did not allow herself to ponder the intricacies of her relationship with Rand, knowing she needed to assess the situation before going to bed.

Rand had answered her questions and more. However, she still had more to talk to him about. What was the taint like? How could he deal with it? What were his plans? However, that could wait for a later date as could the thoughts of a possible relationship.

It was clear Rand had told the truth. The Dragon Reborn was among them again. The final battle was coming. Wars were in Andor's future. However, before drifting off, one other, more optomistic thought came to Elayne.

One important thing had occurred that evening. There was understanding among her mother, the ogier, Rand, and herself, but most importantly there was acceptance.

* * *

I do not have as much time to write now as I did during the summer, so it will probably be around 1-2 weeks per update. I will work on a chapter of my other story before returning to this one. Once again, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please review. If you hate me for the long break between updates, I understand since I read fanfiction quite a bit (understatement of the century). Anyways, until next time...


	9. Chapter 9 Arrivals and Departures

A Different Beginning

Chapter 9 – Arrivals and Departures

Moiraine was outside the city. She sat upon her mare, looking upon the city walls. She knew Rand would be in the city. Alongside Lan, she had traveled slowly making sure she had not missed any signs of a ta'veren passing. Nothing had been found. The boy had probably traveled quickly and had been in Caemlyn for a couple of days.

The false dragon, Logain and her sisters had traveled through the city a couple of days previously. She hoped Rand had avoided them; they would gentle him the moment they discovered his ability to channel. As much as the thought of an all powerful male channeler scared her, the Dragon Reborn could not be gentled. Afterwards, but not before his battle with the Dark One, could the boy be gentled.

However, Moiraine was not too worried. The boy could take care of himself. He was intelligent, clever, and had the ability to stay undercover. Rand would probably be fine. Out of the corner of her eye, Moiraine noticed Lan's shifty eyes glancing all around them, looking for enemies. Nothing unusual there. The man was always on the lookout, even in the White Tower. He was not the Battle King of the Malkieri for nothing.

The tall, concrete walls were impressive. The city would be a great center for defense in the coming battle, if Moiraine could align Morgase with Rand. It would be almost impossible for enemies to enter the city without deceit, and with extra lookouts and spies, darkfriends would have trouble letting shadowspawn in. Even if the walls were breached, the organized city could be protected and the inner-city could hold off the trouble.

Before any chance of the city becoming a center point for the Dragon Reborn, Elaida had to be tamed. She had too much influence over the Queen. If Rand was presented in the wrong way, Elaida would take advantage and assert her control over Morgase and the throne of Andor. Only once Elaida's influence was lessened could Moiraine give Rand's true introduction to the Queen and begin to build ties between the two.

First, she would find Rand and then go to an inn of her choosing. She knew several good ones, but it depended where in the city she found Rand. She would finish the conversation she started with the boy in Shadar Logoth and then tell him to keep to the inn for a couple days, while she worked on Morgase.

If pressed, Lan would stay by the boy's side and learn his true skill with the sword. There was no better individual to give the boy fine tuning, if he needed it, than Lan. Tam al'Thor could have lost some of his skill, and therefore Rand could have beaten him without truly reaching the level of blademaster.

Most importantly, she had to be cautious with the boy. He seemed very confident in his abilities. Moiraine knew that he couldn't grow egotistical or the whole world would perish. Just thinking about another breaking of the world brought shivers down Moiraine's spine. The boy would break the world whether he wanted to or not, and if all went well, he would break the world, which would mean the Dark One didn't break the world.

Thinking all of this, Moiraine and Lan passed through the gates without a second glance. The people of Caemlyn could recognize an Aes Sedai, but Moiraine had woven a disguise about her. She wanted no one to know of her arrival. There were likely few Aes Sedai in the city, after Logain's passage. All of her sisters would be on their way to the tower, with the reds.

It was imperative that Elaida could not take steps against Moiraine before she could speak with the Queen. Moiraine knew things wouldn't always go to plan, but she would be shocked if she knew the state of the palace before she arrived. With her plan running through her head, Moiraine made her through the crowded streets.

* * *

Elayne sat in her room thinking of the past couple of days. Three days ago, Rand al'Thor had come into her life. Three days since she developed a crush on the heir of Tigraine. Three days since the heir of Tigraine had returned. Three days since she had nearly died. Three days since she and Rand had talked. And three days since Rand revealed himself as the Dragon Reborn.

Little had happened since there talk. For that Elayne was grateful. Enough had happened in that one day for a decade and yet more was to come in the following days. Very soon Moiraine Sedai would arrive and the wheel would resume its frenzied pace. Elayne hoped she wouldn't get lost in the whirlwind.

While all of the Rand business was important, another important decision had been made. She would not be training in the White Tower, in all likelihood. All of her life, Elayne had looked forward to, and had dreaded making the journey north. Ever since Elaida had told her she had the potential to be the strongest Aes Sedai in centuries, the journey had grown in importance. It was tradition for the Daughter-Heir to train in Tar Valon.

Now, in all likelihood the tradition would be broken. Elayne did not like that she would be the one to break an age old tradition of Andor. Yet, it was thrilling at the same time. She would be the one to change the history of Andor. That was if Moiraine Sedai agreed to this change. Apparently, her mother had known Moiraine from when she was a novice in the tower and Moiraine was related to her father. Hopefully, she would agree, especially since Moiraine would be traveling with Rand.

A servant knocking on the door to her rooms brought Elayne out of her musings. "Come in." Elayne waited patiently as the serving woman entered and dropped into a curtsey. Curious, Elayne asked, "Why are you here?"

The woman answered quickly, "A runner just came. He told me that the Queen has summoned you to the Throne Room." After a nod and another curtsey, the woman scurried out of the room. Clearly, the woman was used to cleaning, not delivering messages. A messenger would have waited for a dismissal from Elayne and would have had an air of confidence and importance. The woman's gown and the fact that Elayne had never set eyes upon her before made this clear.

That was odd, since the palace rarely ran out of messengers. Something important must be occurring, Elayne supposed. It seemed the down time of the past couple of days had finally come to an end. With a quick check in the mirror to make sure she looked her best, Elayne regally exited the room, and headed off towards the Throne Room.

* * *

Gawyn sat in his rooms relaxing after his training with Gareth Bryne. The man was unrelenting. Gawyn doubted that he needed to go to Tar Valon to train, with that man hounding him. Gareth Bryne was a bloody menace. He might be a superb general, but he knew how to work the living daylights out of a man. He would be bruised for days. Luckily he was only trained in swordsmanship once a week; otherwise his body wouldn't last to do his duties.

At least the training kept his mind off other matters. The last three days had been hell, ever since Elayne had almost been killed. His mother had blasted him, luckily in private; otherwise Gawyn would never overcome the shame of her words. Then Gareth Bryne gave him another talking to, and Elayne was seemingly avoiding him.

Ever since that day, Elayne had been spending all her time with that Rand fellow. Granted, Gawyn was grateful to him for saving her life, but the few glimpses he had of Elayne, she was acting like a love sick puppy. What was so special about this Rand that had Elayne totally forgetting herself?

Sure, Rand was tall, muscular, and fairly good looking, but what else was there? He did save her life, but that was no reason for her to follow him around, giving him a tour, and acting as if the two of them had known each other forever. Maybe, he would have to have a talk with Elayne, since Rand did not seem the type to coerce Elayne into anything. However, who knew what Rand's real character was, since they only knew that he saved Elayne's life. Most likely Elayne knew exactly what she was doing, and that was the most frightening aspect.

Once Elayne got an idea in her head, she would not budge. If she had decided this Rand, commoner as he was, was the one for her, then he doubted that even their mother could change Elayne's mind. She had a will of iron, and he thought her will had already surpassed that of their mother's.

Just as Gawyn's sighed in annoyance, a messenger knocked on the door. Apparently mother had summoned him to the Throne Room. Bloody wonderful. He just hoped this wasn't related to the incident of three days ago or about Rand and Elayne. However, things had not gone his way recently, so he prepared himself for the worst.

* * *

Rand flanked the messenger as he was escorted to the Throne Room. Not that he needed an escort, but the man insisted. Elayne had given him a complete tour of the palace, and after a couple days of guidance, he at least knew where he was going most of the time. Elayne had been a wonderful guide, showing him all of the shortcuts and intricacies of the palace that few knew. The palace itself was amazing. Rand could have never thought of a place with such riches, and expanse. It would be wonderful just to spend a few weeks in relaxation here with Elayne.

However, that was not going to happen. As soon as Moiraine arrived, they would likely be on the road again in a short amount of time. He hoped Moiraine agreed to let Elayne accompany them. Now that he had gotten to know Elayne, his attraction to her had only deepened, and leaving her would be tough. Despite what Morgase said, he was not convinced Elayne felt the same way and he wanted more time with Elayne to figure out what they had together.

Sure, they had flirted the first day, as sparks flew, but that could be attributed to him saving her life. Near death experiences did that to a person. Rand remembered when he had saved Egwene from drowning. That was when her initial obsession with him had begun, although the recent clinginess was nothing compared to her open flirtatiousness after he pulled her out of the river. He needed more time with Elayne to sort their relationship out.

The last few days had been wonderful. They had spent nearly the whole time in each other's company, just getting to know each other. Rand told her stories from his childhood, and in turn he listened to her stories of sneaking around the palace, something she apparently had great practice and skill in. After breaking down, Rand was worried she would look at him differently.

However, afterwards she had not approached the subject and had treated him normally. To say he was surprised, was an understatement, he imaged that of all the people he could have told, none would take the news of him being the Dragon Reborn better. It didn't seem to bother her in the slightest. Instead, she just chatted with him, absolutely glowing in beauty. The temptation to kiss her plump, red lips and run his hand through her glorious red-gold hair grew stronger every second they were together.

Rand shook his head to clear away those thoughts. Undoubtedly, they would lead to Elayne shedding more and more clothing as his deepest fantasies became reality. Needless to say, that was not the way he needed to think during an official meeting, in which he needed his full mental capabilities.

The meeting had come out of nowhere, a messenger just appearing at his door and summoning him before the presence of the Queen. Hopefully, Moiraine had arrived. As much as he wanted to spend time relaxing with Elayne, events would catch up with him. The Forsaken were lose and plotting. Time did not stand still at his call, he was not the Creator.

If anything else serious had occurred, well, he didn't know why he would be summoned, but he would help as he could. However, it had to be Moiraine. As much as the Queen seemed to trust him in their last meeting, she would not ask him for advice about the ruling of Andor. In her eyes, he was a commoner, and in truth, he knew absolutely nothing of the ruling of a nation. The messenger peeled off to the side, and bowed as Rand reached the golden doors. Hoping Moiraine was there, he grasped the handle, which was a lion made of pure gold, and entered.

* * *

Gareth Bryne stood by the Queen's side as they waited for the group to arrive. They had a visitor who was currently preparing herself for the meeting. The woman, Moiraine Sedai he was told, had spent several hours locked away with Morgase talking. Now this meeting was called. Elayne and Gawyn would be attending of course, but also for some reason the commoner, Rand, and the ogier would also be attending.

Gareth had a bad feeling about this meeting. Something major was about to occur. Everything had been spinning and changing these last couple of days. First Elaida seemingly lost favor with the Queen and fled to Tar Valon after her fight with Morgase. Not that he missed Elaida, but Gareth was used to someone being his opposite. Now he had no idea what to expect, from this new Aes Sedai, or the others that would be attending the meeting.

Gareth despised change. Things in Andor were good, not perfect, but good. These last three days had torn the status quo to pieces. The lack of control he had was frightening; things were spiraling out of control. However, as always, Gareth would accept that change, as long as it was good for Andor, and he would continue to serve the White Lion.

* * *

Zarine Bashere sat in the Tavern of the Ocean's Wave Inn. It was the only place where they didn't serve nasty fish. She must have been through at least half of the blasted city before she found some real meat. Two weeks ago she had picked out the inn and five days previously she had taken the Hunter's Oath. Since then she had spent all of her time cooped up in the inn, planning her journey.

Finally, she was ready to leave. She had made up her mind. Gone was Zarine Bashere and with the name, all of her previous life was put behind her. Now she was just a simple Hunter of the Horn. She had toyed with the name, Mandarb, meaning Blade, but decided it didn't fit her. Instead, she was now Faile Bashere. A true name for a Hunter of the Horn. Her father had called her that growing up, it meant falcon, and she would hunt for the horn like a falcon hunts her prey.

At first she had thought of traveling to the Mountains of Mist, but she overheard other Hunters headed in the same direction. Upon further review, she didn't think the horn was there anyways. Someone from Manetheren would have used it in their hour of greatest need, if it was there. So, she had spent the last couple days thinking about the next possible location.

After a couple days, she had decided. She was Borderland raised, so she would head back to the Borderlands. If the Horn of Valere was to be used in the Final Battle, and not before, it had to be tied to something that had lasted since the Age of Legends. The one place that came to her mind was the Eye of the World. The Eye would be used in mankind's greatest need, which had to be near the Final Battle. Therefore, if the Eye was used right before the Final Battle, it would make sense that the Horn would be there for safekeeping until mankind's hour of greatest need.

The next morning she would make her way towards the Blight. She would head up through Caemlyn, passing by Tar Valon to Shienar. That was wear the Eye of World was near, so it was said in Saldaea. She was lucky to be on the road so fast and she would take advantage of the opportunity to get ahead of other Hunters.

Originally the Hunter's Oath wasn't supposed to be administered until the following year, but so many had responded quickly that they decided to have two Oath Taking Ceremonies with one being just after she arrived. She was anxious to see the world and had just been passing through Illian when she heard the news. The moment she heard, she knew that she would be a Hunter for the Horn. Now she would make her own name, leaving behind the name Zarine, and forever placing the name Faile Bashere in one of the gleeman's tales.

* * *

Morgase sat upon her throne waiting for everyone to arrive to the meeting. She had just finished talking to Moiraine and now they would share their plan with the whole group. Actually, it was more of Moiraine's plan, but she would live with it. Normally, she liked complete control over every situation, but the past few days had ruptured every future plan she had.

Ever since Rand al'Thor had saved her daughter's life, everything had been spiraling out of control and it bothered her. A quick glance to the side showed Gareth seemed upset as well. Just like her, the man liked to be in control. However, that control seemed to be slipping out of her hands. Morgase could almost see the torch being passed on to Moiraine, her daughter and Rand al'Thor.

Speaking of Rand al'Thor, the revelations Moiraine brought shocked her. The boy was the son of Tigraine. He was an Andoran noble, not the peasant he claimed to be. So much for the problem of her daughter falling for a commoner. But that was not the most surprising revelation. The light help her and Elayne. The boy was the Dragon Reborn. He could channel, go mad, and break the world once more.

And she had basically given him permission to court her daughter. Light, what had she done? Looking back, she couldn't believe her actions yesterday. Breaking down in front of a subject and basically giving her daughter away, not that Elayne minded from what she could tell. Her daughter was besotted with the man, and she could tell Rand al'Thor felt the same way. There was no stopping her daughter now, but where had her strong will of iron gone? Things were changing, that was for sure. According to Moiraine they would leave tomorrow for Tar Valon.

Moiraine seemed confident that she could convince the Amyrlin to tutor Elayne in private. She said it was extremely important now that she had developed a bond with Rand al'Thor. Then who knows where Elayne would go. But, she would be safe. Morgase remembered the politics in the Tower. Elayne would be free of all of that and would learn much faster. She would have to if she was in love with the Dragon Reborn.

Morgase put away these thoughts as she saw Gawyn shuffle in with. The meeting would start in minutes, and she needed to be devoid of all extraneous thoughts. That was what got her in trouble the day before. Gawyn would stay here when Elayne left. He would not like it, but it was necessary. The people needed proof that things were changing. Morgase was no longer on the strings of Elaida and Tar Valon. She and her daughter would pave their own way towards the future and hold onto the slim chance that Rand al'Thor would save them. It was her only hope.

* * *

Hello again. I am back and ready to write. Here is the long awaited Chapter 9. Sorry to all the readers. I know how frustrating waiting can be. I am in the process of planning future chapters and am rewriting my other story, With the Daughter of the Night, to make it easier to write. I will probably spend most of my time getting a couple chapters of that out, but I will continue to work on this story, as it is by far recieved the best reviews. Thank you for your kind reviews and suggestions, I make sure to read every one and take what you say into consideration. I can not promise regular updates, as I am a college student, but I will do my best. Enjoy.


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